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Copyri^t, 1878, ly Thomas Kelly, >i'ew Yoii. 



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A CATECHISM 



OF THE 



HISTORY OF IRELAND 



Ancient^ Mediceval^ mid Modern. 



BY 



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THE REV. JAMES J. BRENNAN. 






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NEW YORK: 

THOMAS KELLY, PUBLISHER, 

17 Barclay Street. 

1S7S. 



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(tbe library 

or CONGRESS 
WAiHl^OTOK 






Copyright, 1878, by 
JAMES JOSEPH BRENNAN. 



Press of 
THOMAS KELLY, 

NEW YORK. 



CONTENTS. 



PAGE 

Preface 9 

Introduction 11 

Explanatory Chapter , , , 13 



PART I. 

THE PRIMITIVE PERIODS. 

First Period. 

CHAPTER ^ 

I. From Partholan to the Milesians 21 

II. Heremon and Heber 24 

III. From the Death of Heremon to Ollave Fola 27 

IV. From Ollave Fola to Sedna II 30 

V. From Sedna II. to Kimbaeth 34 

Second Period. 

I. From Kimbaeth to Aengus III 38 

II. From Aengus III. to Conaire Mor 41 



6 CONTENTS. 

CHAPTER PAGE 

III. From Conaire Mor to Tuathal Tectmar 45 

IV. Tuathal Tectmar 48 

V. From Feilim II. to Cormac Ulfada 52 

VI. Cormac Ulfada 55 

VII. From Carbre 11. to Eocha XII 58 

VIII. From Eocha XII. to Laegaire II 61 



PART II. 

THE MIDDLE AGES. 

First Period. 

I. Laegaire II (>1 

II. From Olioll IV. to Dermid I 71 

III. From Dermid I. to Hugh II 75 

IV. Hugh II 78 

V. From Hugh III. to Domnall II 81 

VI, From Domnall II. to Fiimacta II.. 84 

VII. From Finnacta II. to Domnall III 89 

VIII. From Domnall III. to Hugh VI 93 

Second Period. 

I. From Hugh VI. to Malachy I 97 

II. From Malachy I. to Flann 100 

HI. From Flann to Congall III 104 

IV. From Congall III. to Malachy II 107 



CONTENTS. 7 

CHAPTER PAGE 

V. Malachy II. and Brian Boru. ^ no 

VI. From Donncad III. to Murthogh II 114 

VII. From Murthogh II. to Thurlogh II 117 

VIII. From Thurlogh II. to Roderick II 120 



PART III. 

THE MODERN PERIODS. 

First Period. 

I, Roderick II 127 

II. Domestic War ^ 133 

III. Feilim O'Connor and his Contemporaries 137 

IV. The Era of Richard de Burgh, " the Red Earl " 141 

V. From King Edward Bruce to Art McMurrogh 145 

VI. Art McMurrogh 150 

VII. Richard, Duke of York 156 

VIII. Unchristian Laws 160 

IX. The Earls of Kildare 164 

Second Period. 

I. John O'Neill 169 

II. The Geraldine League 175 

in. Hugh O'Neill 181 

IV. Confiscation and Extortion 188 

V. The Catholic Confederation 194 



8 CONTENTS, 

CHAPTER • PAGE 

VI. Protestant Ascendency 204 

VII. The Civil War 208 

VIII. Penal Laws 215 

IX. At Home and Abroad ... 221 

X. The Era of Independence 225 

XI. Tyranny and Rebellion 231 

XII. Catholic Emancipation 239 

XIII. Recent Events. 244 



PREFACE. 




[HE history of each nation has its useful and 
instructive lessons. This is true especially 
of that of Ireland, on account of her ancient 
renown, her unshaken faith, and the part 
she has taken in the affairs of the world. Yet, perhaps, 
there is no other country of equal importance, about 
which men in general know so little. Even her own 
children are actuated mostly by sentiment in regard to 
her, and are almost wholly destitute of that accurate 
knowledge which inspires true patriotism. 

The object of this little book, therefore, is to give the 
outlines of Ireland's history — to tell of her traditions and 
her heroes, her glories and her sorrows — and thus, if possi- 
ble, to lead us to admire this long afflicted land. 

The plan of the work is simple and partly new. It 
embraces three parts : the Ancient, the Mediaeval, and 
the Modern. Each of these is subdivided into two 
periods : the first, into the Traditionary and the Heroic 
Eras ; the second, into the Ages of Literature and of the 
Danish Wars ; and the third, into the epochs of Ireland's 
struggle against the English Catholic kings, and finally, 



lo PREFACE. 

against English Protestant rule. These divisions enable 
us at once to take a clear view of the whole history. 

Most writers on this subject have confined themselves 
almost entirely to the more recent events, but this is an 
oversight, for, as Dr. Johnson remarks, they begin too 
late. " The ages," says he, " which deserve an exact 
inquiry are those — for such there were — when Ireland 
was the school of the West, the quiet habitation of sanc- 
tity and literature." 

In the beginning of the book there is a separate chap- 
ter explaining the plan of the work, and before each of 
the three parts there is another to prepare the way for 
what follows it. The chapters indeed are brief, but, on an 
average, each of them includes the events of a generation. 
In the third part, they have been grouped according to 
events, because the reigns of the English sovereigns mark 
no epochs in our history. 

The form into which the work has been put, seems 
best adapted for the object in view, as we see fron> the 
practice of the Church, which always makes use of the 
Catechism in imparting elementary instruction. 

In conclusion I may add, that my best wishes for the 
success of this little venture, are that its pages may 
spread as far and wide as the Irish race itself, and that 
they will be read with the same care, and in the same 
spirit with which they were compiled. 

Newark, N. J., March 7th, 1878. 



INTRODUCTION 




ITH her cliffs beating back the waters that 
threaten her on every side, Ireland presents a 
striking image of the contest which her chil- 
dren have waged for ages, against the bigotry 
and the brute force that would rob them of their faith, 
their liberty and lives. Yet, despite her long sad story, 
this famous sea-girt island is singularly blessed by the hand 
of the Creator. 

Though little more than three hundred miles long, and 
one hundred and fifty broad, she has elements of greatness 
that give her much more influence than her size and 
population would lead us to suppose. Thus, her site is 
unrivalled, her cHmate mild and healthful, her bright ver- 
dure perennial. Her coast abounds in rich fisheries, and 
her bosom in precious and useful minerals. I>arge rivers 
give easy access through all the land, and numerous har- 
bors invite the commerce of the world. She possesses 
also every variety of surface. Hill and dale, lough and 
plain, mountain and valley lie close together, and to the 
charms of delightful scenery, add the blessing of wonder- 



1 2 INTR OD UC TION. 

ful fertility. With all these advantages, Ireland would 
seem destined by Providence to be the seat of a great 
empire. But how different has been her lot ! After 
having known glory of old and learned to love it ; after 
having been the home of sanctity and science, she was 
made the victim of an impious policy, and was despoiled 
for ages, that she might become a dependent on English 
bounty. 

Yet, even in her desolation, Ireland is still a wonder- 
land of sweet and pleasant memories. At every step we 
meet some noted relic of the past. At one time it is a 
little ivy-clad chapel nestling in a valley, or a spacious 
monastery in an island-retreat, or a ruined castle that 
seems like a guardian spectre seated on a hill ; at another, 
it is some ancient rath, or cairn, or cromlech, or round 
tower whose origin and history are now so strangely 
mingled and confused. 

The places remarkable for beauty are numerous through- 
out the country, but the most famous are the Lakes of 
Killarney in Kerry, the vicinity of Glendalough in Wick- 
low, and the Giant's Causeway on the coast of Antrim. 
This last is a splendid work of nature, and is reckoned 
among the wonders of the world. It is composed of 
thousands of massive pillars standing close together, and 
the whole mass of columns rising to a height of two hun- 
dred feet, slopes down gradually six hundred feet to the 
sea, and presents one of those rare, sublime spectacles, in 
which God centres and manifests His power. 



EXPLANATORY CHAPTER. 




HAT is the real signification of the word " His- 
tory ? " 

A. It means inquiry. 
Q. In what sense is the term commonly 
employed ? 

A. It has come to mean a written narrative of past 
events ; an account of the rise, progress^ and fall of 
nations. 

Q. Into how many parts is history sometimes divided ? 

A. Into three parts ; Ancient, Mediaeval, and Modern 
History. 

Q. What is meant by the term '• Ancient History? " 

A. By Ancient History is meant the narrative of events 
which took place before the introduction of Christianity. 

Q. What is the duration of Ancient Irish History ? 

A. It begins at the colonization of Ireland about two 
thousand 5^ears B.C., and ends with its conversion to Chris- 
tianity, A.D. 432 — a space of more than two thousand four 
hundred years. 

Q. Into how many periods is this part divided? 



14 EXPLANATORY CHAPTER. 

A. Into two ; the first called the Traditionary Era, 
extends fi-om the settlement of the country, B.C. 2035, to 
the building of the Palace of Emania, B.C. 350 ; the sec- 
ond, known as the Heroic Era, embraces all the years 
from this last event to the mission of St. Patrick, a.d. 432. 

Q. What do you understand by the phrase '• Mediseval 
History ? " 

A. By Mediaeval History is understood the relation of 
facts that occurred in the country between her conver- 
sion, A.D. 432, and the invasion of the Anglo-Normans, 
A.D. 1169. 

Q. What is the length of this second part ? 

A. Seven hundred and thirty-seven years. 

Q. How is it divided ? 

A. Like the preceding, this part is also divided into 
two periods, the first of which extends from the year of 
grace, 432 to a.d. 795, when the Danes appeared in the 
island ; the second, from the arrival of these invaders to 
that of the Anglo-Normans, a.d. 1169. 

Q. What was the character of these two eras? 

A. The latter was one of incessant war ; whereas the 
former won for Ireland the glorious title of " Isle of 
Saints," on account of the number and extent oi her 
schools, and the piety and learning of great multitudes 
of her children. 

Q. What is the third and last grand division of Irish 
History ? 

A. The last great division includes all the events that 



EXPLANATORY CHAPTER. 1 5 

befell the land from the Anglo-Norman Invasion to the 
present time. 

Q. How many years does this embrace ? 

A. About seven hundred. 

Q. Is this part divided ? 

A. Yes ; it is separated into two periods by the Protes- 
tant Reformation which was introduced into Ireland in 
the year 1537. 

Q. Are these periods specially noted ? 

A. Yes ; like each of the others, they have their dis- 
tinguishing characteristics. The first is the era of Ire- 
land's visitation by English Catholic kings ; the second, 
that of her martyrdom under English Protestant rule. 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 



Jpart JTirot. 



ANCIENT HISTORY. 



From the Colonization of Ireland, b.c. 2035, to 
ITS Conversion to Christianity, a.d. 432. 



Sa 



THE PRIMITIVE PERIODS. 

OW is Ancient Irish History divided ? 
A. Into two periods. 
Q. What are they? 

A. The Traditionary and the Heroic Eras. 
Q. What is the extent of the former ? 
A. It extends from the settlement of the country to 
the building of Emania — a period of about one thousand 
six hundred and eighty-five years. 

Q. What space of time does the latter include ? 
A. About seven hundred and eighty-two years — from 
the end of the first period to St. Patrick, a.d. 432. 

Q. Is the history of these periods generally received? 
A. The history of Ireland goes back so much farther 
than that of most modern nations, and the events re- 



1 8 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

corded of early times are often so remarkable, that, after 
a cursory glance, many persons have doubted its credi- 
bility altogether. 

Q. Is this reasonable ? 

A. No ; for although those remote ages are compara- 
tively unknown to us, still, the facts recorded of them 
must not be wholly disregarded, since many of them are 
not without testimony and probability. 

Q. On what subject is there just ground for doubting? 

A. On the subject of dates, especially with regard to 
those in this hrst part, where they are mostly hypotheti- 
cal. 

Q. Does this militate against the truth of the narra- 
tive itself? 

A. No ; because this uncertainty does not destroy the 
facts, but only leaves us ignorant of the precise time of 
their occurrence. 

Q. Can you demonstrate this in the case of the periods 
in question ? 

A. Yes ; for instance, though uncertain as to the date, 
still, all well-informed men acknowledge that Ireland was 
colonized long before the Birth of Christ, and that its 
early inhabitants had their own language, manners, cus- 
toms, laws, traditions, rulers, and great men. 

Q. What does Father Thebaud, the learned Jesuit, say 
on this subject? 

A. "There can be doubt," says he, speaking of Ire- 
land, " that this nation has preceded in time all those 
which have flourished on the earth, with the exception, 
perhaps, of the Chinese, and that it remains the same to- 
day." 

Q. What testimony is there to prove the early settle- 
ment and civilization of Ireland ? 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 19 

A. "The ruins which are now explored, the relics of 
antiquity which are often exhumed, the very implements 
and utensils preserved by the careful hand of the anti- 
quarian — everything, so different from the rude flint 
arrows and barbarous weapons of our North American 
Indians and of the European savages of the Stone Period, 
denotes a state of civilization, astonishing indeed, when 
we reflect that real objects of art embellished the dwell- 
ings of Irishmen probably before the foundation of Rome, 
and perhaps when Greece was yet in a state of heroic 
barbarism." — Preface to Thebaud' s Irish Race in the Past 
and the Present. 

Q. Are there any written documents to support this 
view ? 

A. Yes ; the same author adds : " In no nation in the 
world are there found so many old histories, annals, 
chronicles, etc., as among the Irish ; and that fact alone 
suffices to prove that in periods most ancient they were 
truly a civilized nation, since they attached such impor- 
tance to the records of events then taking place among 
them." 

Q. Mention a few of these existing authorities. 

A. The Synchronisms of Flann of Monasterboice, a.d, 
1056 ; the Chronico7i Universale, or Universal Chronicle 
of Marianus Scotus, 1086 ; The Annals of Tighernach, 
Abbot of Clonmacnoise, 1088 ; the Annals of Ulster by 
Cathal MacGuire, 1498 ; the Annals of the P'our Mas-, 
ters, so called from the number of their compilers, 1636 ; 
t\\Q Chro7iicum Scotorun by Donald Mac Ferbis, 1670; 
etc., etc. 

Q. What works preceded these ? 

A. The great national register called the '' Saltair of 
Tara," compiled in the time of Cormac Ulfada, a.d. 267 



20 CAT.ECHICM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

the '' Senchus Mor," a vast collection of Brehon Laws, 
compiled a. d. 438, the " Saltair of Cashel/' by Cormac 
Mac Cullenan, King of Minister and Bishop of Cashel, 
903 ; and more than thirty other works whose titles are 
known to us. 

Q. From what other sources did the annalists obtain 
their information ? 

A. From historic poems, tales, monuments, and re- 
mains ; and from the books of genealogies and pedigrees 
which the Milesians were always careful to preserve. 

Q. Why did" they take special care to preserve these 
documents ? 

A. Because, as one of their historians remarks, " Their 
whole system of society — every question as to right of 
property — turned upon the descent of families and the 
principle of clanship ; so that it cannot be supposed that 
mere fables would be tolerated instead of facts, where 
every social claim was to be decided on their authority. 
A man's name is scarcely mentioned in our annals with- 
out the addition of his forefathers' for several generations 
— a thing which rarely occurs in those of other coimtries." 
— Haverty's Hist, of Ireland. 

Q. Js their truth proved in any other way ? 

A. It is; for, says the same authority, "When we 
arrive at the era of Christianity in Ireland, we find that 
our ancient annals stand the test of verification by science 
with a success which not only establishes their character 
for truthfulness at that period, but vindicates the records 
of preceding dates involved in it." 



FIRST PERIOD, 



OR 



TRADITIONARY ERA. 

From the Colonization of Ireland, b.c. 2035, to the 
Building of the Palace of Emania, b.c. 350. 



CHAPTER I. 




From Partholan^ B.C. 2035, to the Milesians^ B.C, 

1234. 

HEN and by whom was Ireland first colonized ? 
A. Tradition informs us that about two 
thousand years before Christ, Ireland was 
settled for the first time, by a colony under 
the command of a chief called Parthblan. 
Q. What was the fate of this colony ? 
A. After a residence of two hundred and seventy-eight 
years in the country, all the inhabitants to the number of. 
nine thousand perished miserably by a plague. The 
island then remained uninhabited for thirty years. 
Q. Who succeeded Partholan ? 

A. About the year B.C. 1727, a chief named Nemedius, 
and his four sons led a thousand colonists into Ireland, 
from the shores of the Euxine Sea. The Nemedians lived 
undisturbed for two hundred and sixteen years, when 



22 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

another band of adventurers appeared to dispute the soil 
with them. 

Q. What is said of these new-comers ? 

A. They are known as Fomorians, but they are gener- 
ally supposed to have been Carthaginian pirates who 
harassed the country but made no permanent settlement. 

Q. Who were the next invaders ? 

A. A tribe called Firbolgs, whose origin is not accu- 
rately known, next took possession of the island under the 
command of the five sons of Dela. They divided it into 
five provinces, and are said to have founded Tara ; but 
their dominion lasted only eighty years, when they were 
driven by a new enemy into that part of the country called 
Con naught. 

Q. What was the character of these last ? 

A. The people that dispossessed the Firbolgs are 
thought to have come originally from Greece, and are 
known as Tuatha de Danains. They were idolaters, skilled 
in magic, and in all the superstitious arts practiced in the 
East. Their sway over Bajtba, as Ireland was then called, 
lasted one hundred and ninety -seven years. 

Q. What did they bring with them to Ireland ? 

A. The Lia-fail, or " Stone of Destiny," which served 
for ages as the coronation seat of the Irish monarchs. 

Q. What virtue was supposed to be attached to this 
stone ? 

A. This is shown by the Latin inscriptioji upon it, 
which is thus translated, 

'* Or fate is false, or prophecy is vain, 

Or where this stone is found, a Scotic* king shall reign." 



* In ancient times Ireland was called Scotia, and its inhabitants, 
Scots. 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 23 

Q. Were there any traces left on the institutions of 
Ireland by these various colonies ? 

A. Yes ; the Tuatha de Danains had some influence on 
the religion of the country in after ages. They likewise 
established annual national games, which were celebrated 
at Tailten in Meath, during thirty days, from the fifteenth 
of August till the middle of September. 

Q. In what did these games consist ? 

A. The exercises consisted in feats of skill and prowess, 
horse-racing, hunting-matches, wrestling, foot-racing, mili- 
tary exercises, games at chess, and contests in music and 
poetry. In after times, also, parents were wont to 
"match-make," or negotiate marriages for their children. 

Q. How were the victors in these games rewarded ? 

A. Besides receiving valuable prizes, their fame was 
sung by the bards, and thus their names and exploits were 
echoed throughout the land. 

Q. What is to be said of the influence of these games ? 

A. To them, in great measure, must be attributed the 
excellence in literature and arms which afterwards sig- 
nalized the Irish face. 

Q. When did these peaceful contests decline ? 

A. Towards the end of the eighth century ; and, on 
the invasion of the Anglo-Normans, they were discontin- 
ued entirely. However, vestiges of them may still be 
traced in the pastimes common to the various districts of 
Ireland, and, even now, though there is no bard to cele- 
brate their praise, the victors in these rural sports gener- 
ally received some prize in token of their skill. 



CHAPTER II. 



THE M I LESI AN S. 




Heremon and Heber, B. C. i.2^4. 

I HO were the Milesians ? 

A. The Milesians were a nomadic colony 
which finally established itself in the north- 
western part of Spain, under the leadership 
of a famous chief called Milesius. 

Q. What origin do they claim ? 

A. Their annals claim for them a very high antiquit}^ 
and even trace them to Fenius Farsa. a Scythian prince, 
who invented the first alphabet, and was the fourth in de- 
scent from Japheth, one of the three sons of Noah. 

Q. What is their history as recorded in their annals? 

A. These state that, after leaving Asia under the name 
of Gedalians, they wandered for many years among the 
isles, and along, the coasts of the Mediterranean Sea, and 
that they at last settled in Spain, where they took the name 
of Milesians. 

Q. By whom were they led into Ireland ? 

A. After the death of Milesius in Spain, his wife Scota, 
accompanied by her sons, led the colony into Ireland, 
and subdued the Tuatha de Danains, B.C. 1234. 

Q. What was the condition of the Milesians on their 
arrival in Ireland ? 

A. They were completely civilized, and possessed of a 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 25 

knowledge of navigation, husbandry, and manufactures. 
They were also skilled in the arts of weaving and dyeing, 
and in working metals. 

Q. Who were the first rulers of the island after the Con- 
quest ? 

A. Scota was killed while directing her troops in the 
first battle with the inhabitants, and was succeeded by her 
two sons, Heremon and Heber, who divided the country 
and reigned conjointly. 

Q. Were these the only children of Milesius ? 

A. No ; there was a third brother, Amergin, who seems 
to have taken no active part in the invasion. To him 
was assigned the office of supreme bard and druid of the 
island. From Ir, who perished in a storm on the coast, 
with four of his brothers, while attempting to land, there 
descended another branch of the family, and at various 
times its members also obtained the sovereignty. From 
this Ir, the country received its name of Ireland, because, 
as it is said, he was the first Milesian interred therein. 

Q. What dissensions arose between the two brothers ? 

A. The wife of Heber coveted a rich and beautiful 
valley near by in the territory of Heremon, and not being 
able to obtain it in any other way, she incited her husband 
to a war in which he was defeated and slain. Heremon 
then extended his sway over the whole island. 

Q. What occurred during the reign of Heremon ? 

A. A colony of strangers arrived in Ireland ; but not 
being allowed to make a settlement there, they betook 
themselves to Albania, as Scotland was then called. 
Though originally from Thrace, they had dwelt for some 
time in Gaul, where they founded the city of Poitiers be- 
fore going to Ireland. 

Q. What is recorded of them ? 



26 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY, 

A. It is said that they had no women among them, and 
that the Milesians supplied them with wives on condition 
of their paying an annual tribute, and of vesting the sover- 
eignty in the female line forever. 

Q. What was the fortune of these needy adventurers ? 

A. They took possession of Albania or Scotland, and 
under the name of Picts, afterwards became formidable' to 
the Roman power in Britain. 

Q. How were the Milesians occupied at this time ? 

A. They were chiefly employed in hunting and fishing 
for a sustenance, and in building roads and cutting down 
the vast forests which covered the island. 

Q. What animals then abounded in Ireland ? 

A. The wolf, the red deer, the wild boar, the wolf-dog, 
the greyhound, and the gigantic Irish elk. 

Q. Name some species of fish frequenting its waters. 

A. Herring, pike, salmon, trout, sunfish, and some- 
times, seals and whales. 




CHAPTER III. 

From the Death of Herenion^ B.C. 1220, to Ollave Fola, 

B.C. 918. 

HAT is to be said of the age following the 
reign of Heremon ? 

A. The accounts that have reached us 
concerning this epoch are very meagre, and 
relate chiefly to battles, the enactment of laws, the clear- 
ing of forests, to phenomena in nature, and to the succes- 
sion and death of various princes. 

Q. What was the general character of the Milesians ? 

A. They were brave, religious, hospitable, and impul- 
sive. 

Q. To what did they principally devote themselves ? 

A. They devoted themselves almost exclusively to 
arms, and the vanquished tribes were compelled to labor 
and to provide them with the necessaries of life. 

Q. How were these necessaries procured? 

A. By fishing and hunting, pasturage and agriculture. 
The chief articles of food were fish, flesh, milk, butter, 
honey, herbs, and bread baked in ashes. As stimulants 
they had mead, and later on, usquebaugh, or whiskey. 

Q. What was the Milesian dress ? 

A. At first they used pelt, but afterwards their clothing 
was generally made of wool and dyed in a variety of 
colors with saffron predominating. Up to the sixteenth 



28 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

century the men wore a yellow cota or shirt ; a trtiis or 
tight-fitting garment, covering from the waist to the 
ankles ; a geochal or vest, sometimes embroidered with 
silk ; a haradh or conical cap ; also sandals or shoes, and 
a falluinn or purple toga with a fringed border and a 
larcre collar of a different color. This cloak reached al- 
most to the knees, and was fastened on the breast by a 
clasp, buckle, or brooch, which was often of silver or of 
gold. They wore their hair long, and suffered it to grow 
on the upper lip, but not on the rest of the face. 

Q. Describe the dress of the women ? 

A. The dress of the women differed somewhat from 
that of the men. Kfileadh or linen cap was their glory ; 
but their chief garment was a cloth mantle reaching to 
the knee and variously fringed and ornamented. The 
maidens wore their hair braided and interwoven with 
ribbons. 

Q. What is said of the habitations of the Milesians ? 

A. When they first landed in the island they dwelt 
mostly in tents ; but, when well secured in their posses- 
sions, they erected dwellings of wood. These were in- 
geniously constructed of timber and wicker work, and 
were furnished with utensils of the same materials. 

Q. Were the Milesians remarkable for enterprise ? 

A. Yes ; this is proved by their daring invasion of Ire- 
land, and by the exploits and enactments of various 
kings. 

Q. Mention a few of their acts. 

A. Among other things, it is related that gold was dis- 
covered and worked in the reign of Tigernmas ; that 
Eocha I. distinguished the different grades of society by 
prescribing a fixed number of colors for th? dress of each ; 
that Eocha II. invaded Albania and forced the Picts to 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 29 

pay tribute, and that Aengiis I. brought them entirely 
under his authority. 

Q. What other facts are recorded of this era? 

A. Wonderful as it may appear, it is also affirmed that 
Enna I. caused shields ornamented with silver to be 
made for his military officers ; that Munemon distributed 
gold chains among his favorites ; and, finally, that Alder- 
goid directed the ollamhs, or learned men of the realm, to 
wear finger-rings of the same precious metal. 




CHAPTER IV. 

From Ollave Fola, B.C. 918, /^ Sedna II., B.C. 650. 

OW many reigns are included iii this section of 
Irish history ? 

A. There are sixteen Ardrighs ' or Su- 
preme Monarchs, with an average reign of 
sixteen years. 

Q. Which of these effected a great improvenient in- 
the general legislation of the country? 

A. Ollave Fola, the famous legislator, who organized 
the system by which Ireland was governed for many cen- 
turies. 

Q. By what m^ans did he accomplish this improve- 
ment ? 

A. By establishing a Feis, or national assembly, to meet 
at Tara every third year about the feast of Sajnhain, the 
first of November, to regulate the affairs of the whole 
kingdom. 

Q. Of whom was this assembly composed ? 

A. It was composed of the most exalted of the nobles, 
the druids and the chiefs, together with the four provin- 
cial kings, and was presided over by the Ard-Righ in 
person. 

Q. What regulations governed its meetings ? 

A. It met in a religious season, and was opened with 
great solemnity. The members took seats according to 
their rank and descent, and during the session were 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 3 1 

secured from violence by a law inflicting the penalty of 
death on disturbers of the peace. Even the monarch 
could not pardon a person guilty in this respect. 

Q. What were the chief duties of the Feis ? 

A. It decreed and annulled the laws ; examined and 
certified the genealogies of families ; compared the 
annals of the different provinces ; and, if found authentic, 
approved them, and entered the portions of general inter- 
est in the National Register called the Saltair of Tara. It 
also declared peace and war, regulated the offices and 
occupations of the people, and attended to the general 
welfare of the nation. 

Q. What other wise acts are recorded of Ollave Fola ? 

A. He assigned lands to the professors of the various 
arts then known ; founded a school at Tara, which was 
afterwards celebrated as the " house of the learned," and 
instituted coats of arms for all the great chiefs of the 
realm. His reign lasted thirty-eight years. 

Q. What is said of the progress of the country after the 
death of Ollave Fola ? 

A. After his death many of his enactments fell into 
disuse, and no great progress was made for some years. 

Q. Name a few of his more noted successors ? 

A. Fiacha III., who built the city of Kells in Mealh, 
and caused wells to be dug ; Rotheacta II., who was the 
first in Ireland to use horse-chariots both in war and in 
travelling ; and Art I., who erected seven large raths or 
forts in his dominions. 

Q. What was the residence of the Ardrigh ? 

A. The Ardrigh usually resided at Tara, in the prov- 
ince of Meath, over which he had sole rule. His palace, 
or national house, is described as being five hundred feet 
long, sixty feet wide, and one hundred high. It had four- 



32 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

teen entrances, accommodated one thousand persons, 
and was provided with courts, banqueting rooms, and a 
library, 

Q. What was the authority of the Ardrigh ? 

A. Besides possessing many extensive local rights 
throughout the island, he exercised supremacy over the 
four provincial kings. 

Q. What attendants were considered necessary to his 
dignity ? 

A. Namely : a druid to offer sacrifice ; a doctor to 
guard his health ; a gentleman companion to give him 
wise counsel ; a bard to sing his glory ; a brehon to 
administer justice in his name ; an ollamh to preserve his 
genealogies, alliances, and noble deeds ; and three stew- 
ards to superintend the affairs of his royal household. 

Q. What law regulated the succession to all dignities 
in Ireland ? 

A. The law of Ta.nistry. Though the eldest son or 
nephew of each prince usually succeeded him, this law 
provided that the candidate for power should be elected 
by the clansmen ; after wnich he might assume the name 
of Tanist or successor, during the life-time of the actual 
ruler. If, however, as was frequently the case, the heir 
apparent was not acceptable to the people, any one of his 
kindred might be chosen in his place. Thus the dignity 
was hereditary as to the family, but elective as to the 
person. The successor to the Ardrigh was styled Roy- 
damna or King Successor. 

Q. What was the general effect of this law ? 

A. It was a fruitful source of frequent strife in the 
supreme government, and in the provincial kingdoms, 
as well as in the smallest principality in the land. 

Q. Who were the provincial kings ? 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. Zl 

' A. They were the rulers of Leinster, Ulster, Munster, 
and Connaught. Although mdependent of each other, 
and possessing the title of Righ or King, nevertheless 
they owed submission to the Ardrigh or High King, and 
were chosen in accordance with the law of Tanistry. 

Q. Mention the ancient capitals of these rulers. 

A. I^eighlin for the province of Leinster ; Emania for 
that of Ulster ; Cashel for Munster ; and Cruchain for 
Connaught. 

Q. Were these provinces subdivided ? 

A. Yes ; these were agani divided into districts, and 
ruled by a multitude of princes who acknowledged the 
authority of their respective provincial kings. 




CHAPTER V. , 

Fro7n Sedjia Il.y B. C. 650, to Kimbaefh^ B. C. 350. 

I HAT is the average duration of the reigns of 
this epoch ? 

A, From Sedna II. to Kimbaeth twenty 
supreme rulers held the sceptre during an 
average reign of fifteen years each. 

Q. Couple the names and deeds of a few of them. 

A. Sedna II. was the author of a military code, and the 
first to compensate soldiers for their services. Enna II. 
had silver money coined, some of which is still preserved. 
On one side they have an impression of that monarch's 
head ; on the other the figure of Erin bearing in her hand 
a wand entwined with a serpent. There are also other 
ancient coins, some in the form of rings, and others flat, 
with a horse on one side and a head encircled with a hel- 
met on the obverse. Eocha VI. is likewise worthy of 
mention as the inventor of the curragh, a species of 
wicker-boat. 

Q. What was the religion of the Milesians ? 

A. It was a system of druidism, probably the same as 
prevailed at Tyre and her colonies, but without its revolt- 
ing sacrifices. 

Q. Mention their chief deities. 

A. Baal or Beal was the god of the sun, and Re, the 
goddess of the moon. The former was honored espe- 
cially on the eve of the first of May, the great feast of 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 35 

Beltaine (the fires of Beal), the latter on that of the first 
of November, the festival of Samham (peace-fires). The 
only artificial object of devotion was an idol called 
Crom, which they venerated for a time as the symbol of 
the Creator. 

Q. Were there any other gods honored in Ireland ? 

A. Yes ; the Tiiatha de Danains had their own divini- 
ties. They worshipped Danaan as the mother of all the 
gods, Buanann as the queen of warlike heroes, and Man- 
a-nan as the god of the waters. The latter was also 
called MacLir, that is, son of the sea. Bridh or Bride was 
honored by the learned as the goddess of wisdom and 
poetry. 

Q. Besides the gods, in what did the people firmly be- 
lieve ? 

A. They believed that besides the great deities, nume- 
rous other spirits dwelt in the heavens, the earth, and the 
sea. and in the fire,, the air, and the clouds. Their 
favorite haunts, however, were supposed to be wells, 
fountains^ streams, rivers, lakes, groves, woods, and 
mountains. 

Q. Which are the best known of these spirits ? 

A. The Phooka, a malignant sprite, who assumed 
various shapes, and delighted to lure people to destruc- 
tion ; and the Banshee, a female spirit, that came to an- 
nounce some approaching death by sobs and other signs 
of grief. 

Q. What sacrifices were offered by the Milesians ? 

A. In peace they offered the fruits of the earth • in 
war, the spoils of their enemies ; and in times of special 
'danger, domestic animals. 

Q. Had they priests among them ? 

A. Yes ; there was a class called Druids, and these had 



36 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

the exclusive right to officiate in the worship offered to 
the deities. 

Q. What influence was possessed by the druids ? 

A. Their power was unbounded. They had a special 
insignia, and their })ersons were considered sacred. 
Neither peace nor war was made without their sanction. 
They practiced magic and were often employed as heralds 
by the princes. The choice things of the land were theirs. 
All the orders of the state, the old and the young, the 
women and the warriors, were equally respectful in their 
presence. 

Q. Wha were the Ollamhs so often mentioned in our 
history ? 

A. This term was applied to those who were considered 
perfect in the joint domain of literature and philosophy, 
which sciences were usually blended under the common 
name of Wisdom (Filedecht) in which there were seven 
grades (gradha), namely: law, history, metaphysics, gram- 
mar, music, druidism, and poetry. 

Q. Mention the other acquirements of an oUamh. 

A. Before being ordained or made an oUamh, each 
candidate was required to be master of three hundred 
and fifty historic tales, and to be proficient in the gen- 
ealogies of the Milesian tribes. He should also be versed 
in scanning, criticism, and versification, and be able to 
improvise in the seven kinds of poetry. But with all his 
knowledge, he was to be civil in tongue, free from crime, 
and pure in morals. 

Q. What were the duties of an ollamh ? 

A. To solve difficulties in history and genealogy, to 
settle disputes concerning boundaries, to instruct chil- 
dren in wisdom, and to recite his stories for the pleasure 
and information of princes and people. 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 37 

Q. What were the privileges of his order ? 

A. Their privileges were numerous. The head of the 
order ranked next to the king, and each member was 
allowed an income of '' twenty-one cows and their grass," 
with six horses, two hounds, and refections for his pupils, 
assistant tutors, and twenty-four attendants. Besides, he 
had the right of asylum or of giving temporary protection 
against injury and arrest. The other grades in wisdom 
enjoyed like privileges according to their rank and 
acquirements. 

Q. What were the other orders ? 

A. The Sha7iachy, or historian ; the Brehon, or judge ; 
the Feinigh, or story-teller ; the File^ or poet, and the 
Bard, or musician. 

Q. Which of these excelled in numbers ? 

A. The bards, who were so numerous that each chief 
had one or more of them in his service. The duty of 
these was to sing the praises of their patron, and the glo- 
ries of his race and clan. 

Q. What was their usual instrument ? 

A. The harp was their favorite instrument, but many 
of them were also skilled in the use of the pipes, the 
violin, the trumpet, and the clarion. 

Q. What kind of writing was often employed by the 
literary orders ? 

A. They used a species of mysterious writing called 
Ogham^ which is best illustrated by the names in which 
physicians write their prescriptions at the present day. 



SECOND PERIOD. 
THE HEROIC ERA. 

From the Building of Emania, b.c. 350, to the 
Mission of St. Patrick, a.d. 432. 



CHAPTER I. 




From Kimbaefh, B.C. 350, to A en gits III.., B.C. 130. 

AS Ireland known to the Carthaginians ? 

A. Yes; it is quite certain that it was 
known to them at least 500 years before 
Christ, when Hamilcar was sent by the Car- 
thaginian Senate to explore the coast of Europe beyond 
the Pillars of Hercules. Though the account of their 
expedition is lost, copious extracts from it are preserved 
in the poem entitled " Ora Maritima," written by Festus 
Avienius. After describing various places, Avienius 
goes on to say in a passage literally translated from the 
Latin, 

*' Thence in two days, a good ship in sailing 

Reaches the Holy Isle — so was she called of old — 
That in the sea nestles, whose turf exuberant 
The race of Hibernians tills." 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 39 

Q. Was the country also known to the ancient Greeks ? 

A. Yes ; it was also mentioned about this same time 
by the two Greek writers, Hecataeas and Onamacritus , 
and, not to quote others, some years later the philosopher 
Aristotle designated it by the name oi lerfie. 

Q. What idea did the ancients have of the country and 
its inhabitants? 

A. According to them it was a fertile land, situated in 
the remote regions of the North, beyond the domain of 
Boreas, or North Wind. Its inhabitants were a sacred 
people, abstainmg from the flesh of animals, dwelling in 
perpetual sunshine, living a thousand years in innocence 
and peace, and spending their time amidst the delights of 
music and dancing. 

Q, From whom did they obtain a fuller knowledge of 
the country? 

A. From the adventurous Phoenician, Etruscan, and 
Carthaginian traders who frequented the ports of Ireland 
for the sake of traffic and commerce. 

Q. Why is this period called the Heroic Era ? 

A. It is so called on account of the warlike exploits 
enacted in the land ; but principally because of the great 
military expeditions sent into other countries. 

Q. What ceremony shows the martial character of the 
Milesians ? 

A. It is said that in their eagerness to rear up a warlike 
race, mothers used to give the first morsel of food to their 
male children on the point of a sword. 

Q. How many monarchs occupied the throne from 
Kimbaeth to Aengus III. ? 

A. Sixteen monarchs are said to have held sway during 
that period — each with an average reign of thirteen 
years. 



40 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

Q. What great work was executed under Kimbaeth ? 

A. The building of the large and sumptuous palace of 
Emania, the residence of the provincial kings of Ulster, 
B. c. 350. 

Q. What is said of this edifice ? 

A. It was the most elaborate structure of its time, and 
was erected principally by the energy of Macha, the wife 
of the monarch. It afterwards became the headquarters 
of the Red Branch Knights, and remained in their pos- 
session until its destruction, a.d. 331. 

Q. How is this palace otherwise noteworthy ? 

A. Its erection marks an epoch in our history, because,, 
henceforth, the records of the country become more re- 
liable and satisfactory. 

Q. Mention a iQ,v^ of the monarchs of this epoch. 

A. Eoghan Mor who invaded Albania and divided" Ire- 
land into twenty-five districts, which he apportioned 
among his sons ; Laurad, who fled to Gaul, and returned 
in triumph at the head of two thousand adventurers ; and 
Aengus II. "who," says the annalist, "led his victorious 
armies against the Greeks, and was saluted conqueror of 
Greece." 

Q. What means had the Milesians for carrying on 
expeditions ? 

A. Besides their " curraghs," or light trading vessels, 
in which they ventured into the most tempestuous seas, 
they possessed large war-ships impelled by as many as 
seventy oars. 




CHAPTER II. 

From Aengus III., B.C. 130, to Conaire Mor, B.C. 2. 

Y what names was Ireland known among the 
Milesians ? 

A. They usually called it Inis-fail, the 
"Isle of Destiny;" Jnis-ealga, the "Noble 
Island." and Eire, after a celebrated queen of that name. 
The last term is still used under the modified form Erin. 

Q. What name was employed at a later date ? 

A. About the beginning of the Christian Era it was 
frequently called Scotia, in honor of the Milesian heroine 
of that name. After the invasion of Albania by the de- 
scendant of Aengus III., that country was also called 
Scotia by the conquerors, in honor of their native land, 
but with the addition of Minor, signifying the Lesser, to 
distinguish it from the mother country, which, from that 
time down to the eleventh century, was known as Scotia 
Major, or the Greater Scotia. 

Q. What was the character of this epoch ? 

A. The country was kept in a ferment by the dissen- 
sions of its princes, and by the extensive foreign expedi- 
tions that took place from time to time. 

Q. How many monarchs were there between Aengus 
III. and Conaire Mor.? 

A. Fifteen. ♦ \ 



42 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

Q. Mention the most noted among them ? 
A. Roderick I., a famous warrior; Jodnmar, who de- 
feated the Picts ; Congall II., in whose time Julius Csesar, 
the Roman general, invaded Britain; Eocha IX., who 
effected great pohtical changes in the country; and 
Nuada II., the progenitor of the Fiann, or military order 
of Leinster. 

Q. What princess, of this age is famous in our day? 
A. Meave, or Maud, a celebrated queen of Connaught, 
who has been metamorphosed by the poet Spenser into 
Mab, the " Faery Queen " of English mythology. 

Q. When did regular military orders arise in Ireland ? 

A. From the time of Sedna II., B.C. 650, there existed a 

kind of militia, but it was not until about the year b.c. 

100 that each province had a separate military organic 

zation. 

Q. Give their names ? 

A. In Leinster the Fiafi?t Erin ; in Munster, the Clan- 
Degaid ; in Ulster, the Knights of the Red Branch ; and 
in Connaught, the Clanna Morna, or Gamafiraide. 
Q. What was the character of these organizations? 
A. They were composed of picked men, who were 
trained to the use of arms from childhood, but they were 
under little or no discipline, and instead of a blessing, they 
proved a great curse to the country at large. 
Q. How were they organized ? 

A. The organization of all was much the same. There 
was an officer for each group of nine, another over fifty, 
a captain over a hundred, a leader over a thousand, a 
commander over three thousand, and a chief or king of 
the Fiann over the whole body, which is supposed to 
have numbered about nine thousand. 
Q. How were they maintained ? 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 43 

A. From the feast of Samhain, on the first of Novem- 
ber, till that of Beltaine, on the first of May, they had the 
privilege of bonagJit^ or free quarters among the people. 
During the remaining six months of the year they lived 
by hunting, and on the stipend received from the kings 
whom they served in exacting fines and tributes, and in 
putting down robbers, enemies, and disturbers of the pub- 
lic peace. 

Q. What weapons did they use ? 

A. They used a short lance, the bow and arrow, a 
long javelin, a sword or skene about fifteen inches long, 
and a lia or stone-axe, which was hurled at the enemy. 
Even at this early day some of the chiefs fought in chari- 
ots. 

Q. What is said of their uniform ? 

A. Their uniform resembled the ordinary dress of the 
people, except that private soldiers wore two colors, offi- 
cers, three, and chiefs, five. Their most serviceable gar- 
ment was a large cloak [cochaV) which they used at night 
as a blanket, and, in battle, as a protection to the left 
arm. As was a universal custom amongst the Milesians, 
they wore a moustache {crommeal) and flowing hair 
{coolun). 

Q. What was their war-cry ? 

A. Like the Romans they had a regular battle-cry, 
which was Fan-ah I Farrah I — meaning Fall on ! Fall 
on ! 

Q. Mention a few of their leaders. 

A. A long list of these military champions has come 
down to us, but the most celebrated at this era were Cu- 
chuUin, Conall Cearnach, Fergus MacRoigh, Connor 
MacNessa, King of Ulster, and his son Cormac, surnamed 
Conloingeas, or the exile. 



44 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

Q. What is said of their exploits ? 

A. According to the bards, they were the heroes of 
numberless raids, battles, sieges, and expeditions. Their 
greatest fame, however, was won in a war carried on by 
Meav, Queen of Connaught, against Connor, King of 
Ulster. 




CHAPTER III. 

From Conaire Mor, B. C. 2, to Tuathal Ted mar, A. D. 

95. 

AS Ireland known to the Romans ? 

A. Yes ; it is mentioned by Diodorus Sic- 
uliis who calls it Iris^ and by the geographer 
Strabo, who designated it as the farthest 
point north for commerce. Moreover, Pomponiiis Mela 
speaks of it under the name Iverna ; Pliny styles it 
Hybernia^ Soliniis calls it Hibernia, while Ptolemy de- 
scribes it with much general accuracy. 

Q. What idea did these writers form of it ? 

A. They agree as to its fertility, the richness of its pas- 
tures, and its many natural advantages. 

Q. How was this opinion verified under Conaire Mor ? 

A. The harvests were abundant, and peace, plenty, 
and contentment were throughout the land. 

Q. What great event took place at this time ? 

A. Amid profound and universal peace, Jesus Christ, 
the Saviour of the world and Prince of Peace, came upon 
the earth and inaugurated His wonderful mission. The 
place of His birth was Bethlehem, a town in the Province 
of Judea. 

Q. How many monarchs reigned between Conaire and 
Tuathal ? 

A. Between these two there were eight monarchs with 
an average reign of twelve years ; the most noted of them 



46 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

was Crimthan II., who went on an expedition, probably to 
Gaul, from which he returned loaded with booty. 

Q. What took place at the death of Crimthan II. ? 

A. After his death the descendants of the Firbolgs in 
Connaught conspired against the dominant race, and, at 
a feast given by them on the eve of electing a new mon- 
arch, they treacherously fell upon the Milesian nobles, 
and, murdering most of them, raised to the throne Carbre 
I., one of their own race, a. d. 56. 

Q. Did the Milesian line regain the throne ? 

A. Yes ; afcer an unprosperous reign of five years the 
usurper died of a plague, and through the unparalleled 
generosity of Moran, his son and' heir, the sceptre 
was restored to the rightful line in the person of Fera- 
dach I. 

Q. What occurred soon afterwards ? 

A. Under the reign of Fiacha VI. the Roman general 
Plautius attacked the isle of Anglesey, and the event is 
memorable from the fact that then, for the first time, the 
conquerors of the world encountered a section of that- 
Irish militia, which, under the name of Scots, was yet to 
give them so much annoyance in Britain. 

Q. What new disturbance took place ? 

A. The ever restless Firbolgs revolted a second time, 
and were joined by several princes against the ruling 
monarch. The head of this insurrection was Elim, King 
of Ulster, and so successful was he that he assumed su- 
preme power, while Tuathal, the lawful heir, had to flee 
for his life. 

Q. Did the people suffer from these frequent wars ? 

A. They did, but not so much as might be expected. 

Q. Why was this ? 

A. Because all over the land there were houses of 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 47 

hospitality belonging to the state, and there the poor and 
needy could obtain food and shelter free of charge. 

Q. How were these houses maintained ? 

A. Each of them had a superintendent {betagh), who 
procured the necessary supplies from a large and well 
stocked farm under his charge. 

Q. When did these houses cease to exist ? 

A. After the introduction of Christianity they were 
transferred to the clergy, who continued the ancient cus- 
tom till the time of James I., when the betagh lands were 
all confiscated. 

Q. What other custom was anciently in vogue ? 

A. That oi fostering — a very ancient usage by which 
the children of the chiefs were suckled and reared in the 
families of their followers. 

Q. What is to be said of this practice ? 

A. It formed a bond of union between princes and peo- 
ple, and its ties were held as sacred as those of actual re- 
lationship. This is fully shown by the extreme devotion 
which children continued to cherish for their foster-par- 
ents, and for those who had been brought up with them- 
selves. 




CHAPTER IV. 

Tuathal T'ectmar, A.D, 95 to 125. 

O W long did Tuathal Tectmar reign ? 
A. During thirty years. 
Q. Why is he called Tectmar^ which signi- 
fies welcome ? 

A. Because, when he sought to gain the throne, the 
people hailed him as the legitimate monarch, who was to 
deliver them from the yoke of Elim, the usurper. 

Q. Will you relate how this was accomplished ? 

A. Tuathal was the only son of Fiacha VI., who was 
slain by the rebellious Firbolgs. Having escaped death 
by fleeing into Britain, he returned after twenty years, and, 
with the assistance of the Milesian nobles, defeated the 
rebels and ascended the throne of his ancestors. 

Q. What act secured his power ? 

A. He convened the Feis or National Assembly of 
Tara, and had himself elected by the members ; then he 
exacted a promise from them, to which they swore by 
all the elements, that the sovereignty of Ireland should 
remain in his family for ever. 

Q. What marks of esteem did Tuathal receive from the 
provinces ? 

A. Each of them granted him a portion of land con- 
tiguous to Meath, and, thus enlarged, this province was 
ever afterwards the special domain of the Ardrigh*. 

Q. How did he requite this generosity? 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY, 49 

A. In each of the new portions of Meath he built or 
embeUished a royal residence. The first of these was 
Tara, which he enlarged and beautified ; the second, at 
Tlachta, where, on the eve of Sanjhain, the first of 
November, was held the festival of the Fires of Tlachta, 
at which the druids assembled to sacrifice to all the gods, ^^ 
During this feast other fires were to be extinguished under 
penalty of death, and new ones being lighted from the 
sacred fire, the king of Munster received a tax of three 
pence for every new fire, because, as the annalist says, 
the land on which Tlachta stood had been given up by 
Munster, 

Q. Where was his third residence ? 

A. At Usinach in Conn aught. On the eve of Beltain^, 
the first of May, it was the custom to light two fires in 
every district in honor of the idol Baal, and to drive a 
pair of each kind of cattle between them, as a remedy 
against disease. This ceremony was unusually attractive 
at Usinach, hence, Tuathal ordered that every chieftain 
who attended the celebration, should present a horse and 
an outfit to the king of Connaught, because, again, the 
ground on which Usinach stood, had been taken from 
Connaught, 

Q. What was the fourth residence of Tuathal ? 

A. At Tailten, where, in August of each year, the 
national games had been held from time im.memoria:L 
During these exercises, youths and maidens came from all 
parts of the kingdom to be mated by their parents ; and, 
from each couple that got married there, the king of 
Ulster received a small silver coin, because, in fine, the 
ground on which Tailten stood, had belonged to Ulster. 

Q. Describe the marriage cereinonies as here con- 
ducted. 



5<> CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

A. After the parents or guardians had "made the 
match," and settled the dowry of the bride, the bride- 
groom presented a garland of flowers to his affianced, and 
led her to the public altar, where a druid performed the 
marriage rite. 

Q. What has since been discovered at Tailten ? 

A. There have been found several caves which Edward 
Llhwyd, the Welsh antiquary says, " are equal to any time- 
honored remnants of architecture, of which a Palmyra or 
a Babylon could boast.'* The most remarkable is that at 
New Grange, which is eighty feet high, four hundred paces 
in circumference, and is said to contain one hundred and 
eighty thousand stones. 

Q, What unfortunate occurrence took place under 
Tuathal? 

A. Eocha Anchean, King of Leinster espoused Darine, 
one of the daughters of Tuathal, and, after some time, 
pretended that she had died. Then he obtained the hand 
of Fithir, the monarch's other daughter; but, when the 
two sisters understood how they had been deceived, both 
of them, it is said, died of grief. To revenge the outrage, 
Tuathal overran Leinster and condemned its inhabitants 
to pay a heavy fine every second year. 

Q. What was the name of this fine ? 

A. It was called the boru [boroimhe), or tribute. 

Q. In what did it consist ? 

A. It consisted of one hundred and fifty ounces of 
silver, and the same number of cows, swine, coverlets 
and cauldrons, together with an equal number of men, 
women, and maidens, who were to be held in perpetual 
bondage. 

Q. To whom was the tribute paid ? 

A. To insure its enforcement Tuathal decreed that a 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 51 

third part of it should be paid to the king of Ulster, an- 
other third to the ruler of Connaught, and the remainder 
to the monarch of Tara and the king of Munster. 

Q. What is to be said of this tribute ? 

A. It continued to be exacted during forty reigns — a 
period of five hundred years— till St. Moling procured 
its aboUtion in the time of, Finnacta II. Though often 
paid, it was also frequently resisted, and hence there arose 
numerous wars in which countless multitudes fell on both 
sides. 

Q. In what foreign warfare did the Scots now take 
part ? 

A. Thousands of Scots or Irish joined the Picts in their 
attacks upon Britain, and so successful were they, that 
Hadrian, the Roman emperor, sought to stop their rava- 
ges, by erecting a fortification sixty miles long, from tlie 
Solway Frith to the mouth of the Tyne, a.d. 120. 

Q. How was the reign of Tuathal brought to a close ? 

A. He was slain in battle by Mai, King of Connaught, 
who thereupon succeeded to the supreme power, which 
he exercised for four years. 




CHAPTER V. 

From Feilim 11.^ A.D. 129, /^ Cormac Ulfada^ AM. 244. 

OW did Feilim II. render his reign memora- 
ble ? 

A. By introducing into the Brehon Code 
the lex talionis, or law of retaliation, whose 
spirit is well explained 'by the aphorism, " An eye for an 
eye and a tooth for a tooth." 

Q. What other law. existed for the punishment of crim- 
inals ? 

A. The law of eric which punished crimes by the im- 
position of fine. In cases of murder, however, the eric 
or fine might be refused, and then, according to the lex 
talionis, death was inflicted. 

Q. How were criminals put to death ? 

A. They were always put to death either by the arrow 
or the sword, or by drowning ; hanging was not in vogue 
till the English invasion. 

Q. What is said of the tenure of land in Ireland ? 

A. On the continent the feudal system held sway, and 
it debased the people by keeping them dependent on a 
few nobles who claimed to own all the land. In Ireland, 
on the contrary, each clansman had an equal right to a 
proportionate share of the tract occupied by his tribe. 

Q. What law regulated the transmission of property ? 

A. The law of gavel-kind, by which lands descended 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 53 

equally to all the sons to the exclusion of all the daughters. 
If there were no sons, then the property was equally divided 
among the next male heirs. 

Q. How many monarchs reigned from Feilim II. to 
Cormac Ulfada ? • • 

A. Six. 

Q. What was the average duration of their reigns ? 

A. Seventeen years. 

Q. What does this prove ? 

A. It shows that despite the disorders and the warlike 
spirit of the times, the monarchs were reasonably secure 
in their high stations. 

Q. Who succeeded Feilim ? 

A. He was succeeded by Cathaire Mor, during whose 
reign Dublin, the present capital of Ireland, was founded, 
A.D. 140. 

Q. Who was the most warlike monarch of the epoch ? 

A. This was Conn, the renowned hero of a hundred 
battles. 

Q. What event took place during the reign of Conn ? 

A, The Scots and their alHes were continually in arms 
against the Romans in Britain ; hence, as a protection, 
the emperor Antoninus erected another fortification from 
the Forth to the Clyde, a.d. 146. 

Q. What successor of Conn is worthy of mention ? 

A. Conaire II., who is noteworthy as the father of 
Carbry Riada, who led a Milesian colony from Ireland to 
Albania or Scotland about the year 212. 

Q. Did the Milesians or Scots continue their warfare 
on Britain ? 

A. Yes ; and although often forced to chastise the Picts, 
still, they frequently assisted thejn against the Romans 
and Britains. 



54 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

Q. What did these incessant attacks induce the Romans 
to do ? 

A. Being unable to subdue the Scots and their allies, 
the emperor Severus resolved, at last, to protect Britain 
effectually from their inroads ; and, for this purpose, he 
built a solid stone wall nine feet wide, twelve in height, 
and sixty miles long, a.d. 207. 

Q. Was he successful in his design ? 

A. No ; the invaders still broke in from time to time, 
and committed great depradations among the poor Bri- 
tons. 

Q. Who were the most renowned military heroes of the 
time ? 

A. Eogan, King of Munster ; Goll, son of Morna, gen- 
eral of Connaught ; and Cuall, father of the celebrated 
Finn or Fingal, the leader of the Fiann of Leinster. 




CHAPTER VI. 

Cormac Ulfada, A.D. 244 to 267, 

HAT is said of the reign of Cormac Ulfada? 
A. His reign is generally regarded as one 
of the brightest eras in the history of Pagan 
Ireland. 

Q. What was his first care ? 

A. His first act was to establish his authority firmly 
over the whole island by reducing some refractory princes, 

Q. What did he then do ? 

A. He invited several learned chroniclers to Tara, and 
directed them to write the annals of the kingdom from the 
earliest period Their work, called the '' Saltair of Tara," 
is now lost, but much of its contents is known to us. 

Q. How did he encourage learning? 

A. By establishing a military school, and two colleges, 
one for history, and another for law. 

Q- Give another proof of his enlightenment ? 

A. He collected the laws of the kingdom, and published 
the code which was in use till after the English invasion. 

Q. What is said of the splendor of his court ? 

A. Instead of the old palace he erected a grand edi- 
fice, three hundred feet long, one hundred broad, and 
sixty in height. This new building had fourteen large en- 
trances, and was illuminated by lamps at night. It be- 
came the centre of all the wealth, splendor, and enlighten- 
nient of the kin dom, and the poets tell with rapture how 



56 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

Cormac sat in regal state surrounded by his wise men and 
warriors. 

Q. Was Cormac engaged in a foreign war ? 

A. Yes ; but he only continued the operations begun 
in Albania by his predecessor. 

Q. What was the duration of his reign ? 

A. He reigned during twenty-three years, and then, 
having lost an eye, resigned the throne. 

Q. Why did he give up his sceptre ? 

A. He did it in obedience to a law which declared 
that the monarch should have no personal blemish. 

Q. What manner of life did he lead after his abdica- 
tion? 

A. He retired to a pleasant retreat where, he gave him- 
self up to study and contemplation. Here he wrote a 
tract called '^ Advice to a Prince," for the instruction of 
his son, Carbre II. This work is still extant. 

Q. What is said of his religious belief? 

A. Before his death he is said to have renounced druid- 
ism, and to have had a knowledge of the true God, whom 
he worshipped despite the druids. 

Q. State the manner of his death. 

A. He was choked at table by a salmon bone, and, 
according to the druids, this was his punishment for hav- 
ing forsaken their deities. 

Q. Describe the funeral ceremonies of the Milesians. 

A. After being washed and clothed, the body was laid 
in state for a few days, and, during this interval, all the 
friends and neighbors assembled to do honor to the d^ 
parted. The bards .sang his pedigree and exploits ; the 
druids recited prayers ; and the mourners raised the keen 
{caoijie) or funeral song, which was kept up till the re- 
mains were consigned to the earth. The grave usually 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 57 

faced towards the East, and was lined with smooth stones. 
No coffin was used ; but a cloak was wrapped around the 
body. Over the grave was placed a mound or slab with 
the name of the deceased. The most famous burial 
place in ancient times was Relignaree, near Cruachan, in 
f Connaught, where the kings were usually interred. 




CHAPTER VII. 
From CarbrS II., A.D. 268, to Eocha XII., A. D. 350. 

HO was Carbr6 II. ? 

A. He was the son of Cormac Ulfada. 
Q. How long did he rule ? 
A. During sixteen years. 

Q, What is said of him ? 

A. He was a patron of letters, and the author of a 
history of the kings, his predecessors. 

Q. What celebrated men flourished in his reign ? 

A. Ossian, the great bard of Ireland, and his son Os- 
car, both descendants of the warrior Fingal and leaders 
of the Fiann of Leinster. 

Q. What war did Carbre carry on ? 

A. He went to war with Leana, King of Munster, for 
receiving the Fiann of Leinster, whom he had disbanded 
and outlawed on account of their crimes. 

Q. Who supported Carbre and his cairse ? 

A. The Fiann, or military order of Connaught. 

Q. Where was the contest decided ? 

A. At the battle of Gabra, a.d. 284. 

Q. What is said of this battle ? 

A. The slaughter was so great that the two rival mili- 
tary orders were almost exterminated. Among the slain 
were Carbre, and Oscar, the son of Ossian. 

Q. How many monarchs held sway between Carbr6 
and Eocha XII. ? 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 5^ 

A. Five, with an average reign of twelve years. 

Q. Were these rulers remarkable in any way? 

A. No; at least there is no evidence that they were. 
However, it must not be imagined that they led indolent 
or sensual lives like their contemporaries, the Roman 
emperors. Such a course was impossible under the Irish 
system, which demanded the election of the ruler, and 
recognized merit rather than hereditary right. For this 
reason the monarchs were always active and energetic, 
and they never became mere effeminate figure-heads, like 
some of the kings of France and England in after ages. 

Q. What event now took place in Ireland ? 

A. The destruction of the Palace of Emania, in Ulster, 
by the men of Connaught, in the reign of Muredach II., 
A.D. 331. 

Q. Why is this noteworthy ? 

A. Because, as has been remarked, after tliis event the 
annals of the kingdom become much more clear and reli- 
able. 

Q. Was the country prosperous at this time ? 

A. Yes ; the people were enterprising, and as a conse- 
quence the country increased rapidly, both in wealth and 
power. 

Q. What is said of the literary orders ? 

A. We are told, even by English writers, that they were 
*'the most learned body of men in Europe;" that "they 
were eminently versed in astronomy and Grecian litera- 
ture," and that " they stood unrivalled in the cultivation 
of letters." — See Camden and Stillingfieet. 

Q. What else is asserted of them ? 

A. They are also said to have been the masters or in- 
structors of the other European bards. 

A. Is this true ? 



6o CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

A. Yes; "at this era," says another British author, 
" the Irish were the most enhghtened cultivators of letters 
in Europe ; and so great was the respect in which their 
learning was held, that the druids of Britain were initiated 
for ages into their arts, knowledge, and mysteries by the 
Irish druids. — Toland Hist, Brit. Druids. 

Q. Who confirms this ? 

A. The English historian Whitacker, who remarks of 
the following age : " In the reign of the celebrated mon- 
arch Niall, the arch-druid of Ireland was acknowledged 
the sovereign pontiff of the order of the druids of Gaul, 
Britain, and Scotland." Surely no better testimony can 
be demanded. 




CHAPTER VIII. 

From Eocha XIL, A.D, 350, to Laegaire II., A.D. 428. 

HAT is said of Eocha XII. ? 

A. He was the progenitor of nearly all the 
Ard-Righs who flourished during the Chris- 
tian era. 

Q. Was his own career a prosperous one ? 

A. No ; on the contrary, during the ten years of his 
reign he was repeatedly defeated by Eana, King of Lein- 
ster. 

Q. How many monarchs ruled between Eocha XH. 
and Laegaire II. ? 

A. Three, with an average reign of twenty-two years. 

Q. What was the character of these rulers ? 

A. They were remarkable for valor and enterprise. 

Q. What other governments existed in Europe at this 
time ? 

A. There was none but the Roman Empire. Britain 
was still a province of Rome, and, with the exception of ^ 
Ireland, all the other European countries were under the 
same despotic sway. 

Q. How many emperors governed the Roman Empire 
during this same era? 

A. There were as many as nine, 

Q. What does this show ? 

A. It proves that, compared to them, our old warrior- 
monarchs were also men of wonderful endurance. 



62 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

Q. Who succeeded Eocha XII. ? 

A. Crimthan III., who during a reign of seventeen 
years led expeditions to Albania, Britain, and Gaul, 
whence he returned with much treasure. 

Q. Who was the next monarch ? 

A. Ntall I., surnamed of the Nine Hostages. 

Q. What is said of Niall ? 

A. About ten years after his accession he sailed from 
Ireland with a large army and landed in Albania. Then, 
after ravaging Britain and Wales, he seized the Isle of 
Man and crossed into Gaul, from which he returned with 
glory. 

Q. What did these attacks force the Romans to do ? 

A. We learn from a passage of the poet Claudian, that 
Stilico, the general of Theodosius the Great, was forced 
to send additional troops to protect Britain : 

' * When Scots came thundering from the Irish shores, 
And the ocean trembled, struck with hostile oars." 

Q. What was the fate of Niall? 

A. Having undertaken a new expedition to Gaul, he was 
killed near the river Loire by Eocha, King of Leinster, 
whom he had deposed on account of his crimes, a.d. 403. 

Q. How is this last expedition rendered memorable ? 

A. Among the captives taken on this occasion, there 
was a young Christian called Succat, who was destined, 
under the name of Patrick, to introduce the light of faith 
into the land of his captivity. 

Q. Who succeeded Niall IV. ? 

A. King Dathy, who reigned twenty-three years, and 
was the last monarch of pagan Ireland. 

Q. What is said of him ? 

A. He was brave and warlike, and led a victorious army 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. dz 

to the extremity of Gaul, where, at the height of his suc- 
cess, he was killed by lightning at the foot of the Alps, 
A.D. 428. His troops carried his body back to Ireland, 
where it was interred at Cruachan in the ancient cemetery 
of the kings. 

Q. What was the effect of these expeditions ? 

A. Besides deterring the Romans from invading Ire- 
land, these frequent incursions had no little influence in 
causing them to abandon Britain, which they did entirely, 
A.D. 428. 

Q. Have we any remains of the civilization of this 
period ? 

A. Yes ; for, exclusive of historic testimony, several 
ancient reliques of this period have been dug up from time 
to time. These consist chiefly of clay sepulchral urns ; 
bronze swords, spear-heads, and javelins ; and rings, gob- 
lets, bits, brooches, torques, circlets and crowns of solid 
gold. 



J) art Seconir. 
MEDI.^VAL HISTORY. 

FRaM THE Introduction of Christianity, a.d. 432, 
TO the Anglo-Norman Invasion, a.d. 1169. 



THE MIDDLE AGES. 




HAT is generally meant by the term " Middle 
Ages?" 

A. It means that period of history inter- 
vening between the fall of the Western 
Empire, a.d. 476, and the discovery of America, a.d. 
1492. 

Q. What was the general character of this period 
throughout Europe ? 

A. It was an era in which ignorance, violence, disor- 
ders, invasions, and revolutions were mixed up in endless 
confusion with noble deeds, religious devotion, and the 
conversion and civilization of nations. 

Q. By what system were most nations governed during 
this time ? 

A. By the feudal system, which gave arbitrary power 
to a multitude of petty princes, and kept the mass of the 
people in the vilest slavery. So universal was this state 
of things throughout Europe, that no man was suffered 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 65 

to be his own master. All but property -liolders had to 
become serfs, and to do homage to some " lord," whom 
they were bound to serve and obey. 

Q. Did this iniquitous system exist \\\ Ireland ? 

A. No ; it was radically opposed to the Irish Consti- 
tution, which recognized each clansman as free and inde- 
pendent in both person and property. 

Q. What trait, therefore, distinguishes the Irish clans- 
men from the European serfs ? 

A. The spirit of freedom or personal independence 
which they evinced in dealing with their rulers. 

Q. In what else did the Irish differ from the rest of 
Europe ? 

A. Elsewhere the identity of the individual was lost 
amid pompous titles taken from the land ; and, secondly, 
his personal freedom was wholly destroyed because he 
was a mere chattel, from the fact that he was absolutely 
dependent on his superiors ; whereas, in Ireland, both 
the liberty and the individuality of the clansmen were 
preserved, for the contrary reason, that the chiefs were 
dependent on the people, and the family name was pre- 
served with pride. 

Q. What is the duration of this part of Irish history 1 

A. Seven hundred and thirty-nine years. 

Q. Into how many periods is it divided ? 

A. Into two : the first, from the mission of St. Pat- 
rick, A.D. 432, to the arrival of the Danes, a.d. 795 ; 
the second, from the Danes to the Anglo-Normans, a.d, 
J 169. 

Q. What was the character of the first period ? 

A. During this period the renown of Ireland for sanc- 
tity and learning was such, that, by common consent, she 
received the glorious title of '^ Island of Saints." '' For- 



66 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

eigners flocked to her shores to be instructed in religion 
and letters, and a residence in Ireland was considered as 
almost essential to establish a literary character. Not 
content with affording an asylum to those strangers at 
home, the sons of Hibernia crossed the seas to diffuse 
the same blessings abroad ; all the neighboring nations — 
England, France, Germany, and Switzerland, profited by 
the zeal and learning of Irish missionaries, and the most 
celebrated nurseries of science in those remote ages were 
founded or improved by Irish scholars." — Fredet. Mod, 

Mist., p. 22. 

Q. What is to be said of the second period of mediaeval 
history? 

A. The second period is marked by the attacks of the 
Danes, •' those terrible Northmen who, for above two 
hundred years, proved so formidable to several nations of 
Europe. In Ireland, as elsewhere, ruin and desolation 
marked the progress of the invaders ; the country was 
ravaged ; churches, monasteries and universities were 
plundered and destroyed. From time to time, it is true, 
the Danes were bravely attacked and defeated, but fresh 
swarms succeeded, and committed new outrages and dep- 
redations throughout the island," till they were finally 
driven out by a crushing defeat, a.d. 1014. — Id. 



FIRST PERIOD. 

IRELAND THE ISLE OF SAINTS. 

From her Conversion, a.d. 432, to the Arrival of 
THE Danes, a.d. 795. 




CHAPTER I. 

Laegaire II., A.D. 428 to 463. 

HO occupied the throne of Ireland at the m- 
troduction of Christianity into the country ? 
x\. Laegaire II., son of Niall of the Nine 
Hostages, who reigned thirty-five years. 
Q. Were there Christians in the country before his 
time ? 

A. Yes ; there is a tradition that St. James the Great 
labored there ; but however this may be, it is certain that 
many of the Irish were Christians long before the final 
conversion of the country. The most noted among these 
early converts were Mansuetus, afterwards first Bishop of 
Toul in Gaul, a.d. 375 ; Cselestius, the great champion 
of the Pelagian heresy, a.d. 412 ; and the four young men, 
Ailbe, Declan, Ibar, and Kiaran, who were baptized 
abroad and afterwards made bishops under St. Patrick. 
Q. What is said of C?elestius ? 
A. He was a law-advocate of vast learning and great 



68 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY, 

abilities. Having crossed over to Gaul, he became a 
Christian, but his love of speculation led him into diffi- 
culties, and, though still a layman, he was soon looked 
upon as the main supporter of Pelagianism throughout 
Europe and Africa. Before his death he became a priest, 
but he never retracted his errors, and, as he had proved 
a match for every opponent, the fame of his name lingered 
long in the field of his labors. Pelagius himself, also, the 
prime author of this heresy, is thought to have been born 
in Ireland, but this is disputed. 

Q. What is said of the first mission to Ireland ? 

A. In the year 431, Pope Celestine I. sent St. Palla- 
dius to Ireland as bishop '' to the Scots believing in 
Christ," a proof that there were already many Christians 
in the island. This mission, however, was unsuccessful, 
and Palladius retired to Albania, where he died in the 
same year. 

Q. Who had the glory of converting Ireland ? 

A. The great Apostle St. Patrick. 

Q. Give an account of his early life. 

A. This glorious missionary was born near Boulogne, 
in Armorica, a province of Gaul, in the year 387. At 
the age of sixteen, he was made captive with many of his 
countrymen, by the troops of Niall of the Nine Hostages, 
and taken to Ireland, where he was sold into slavery, a.d. 

403- 

Q. Sketch his career up to the time of his mission. 

A. After six years of servitude, he escaped to his own 

country, and entering the monastery of St. Martin at 

Tours, began to prepare himself for the sacred ministry. 

In the course of time he proceeded to Rome, where 

he studied for three years. Then he returned to Gaul 

and placed himself under the direction of St. Germain 



CA'IECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 69 

at Aiixerre, a.d. 418. By the advice of this holy master 
he .retired to the monastery of Lerins, where he Hved 
ill prayer and contemplation during nine years. On 
leaving Lerins, he again returned to St. Germain, whom 
he accompanied into Britain in order to check tlie Pela- 
gian heresy, a.d. 429. Finally he proceeded to Rome a 
second time to consult Pope St. Celestine I. about the 
mission to Ireland, which was always uppermost in his 
mind. 

Q. What was done for him by this holy pontiff? 

A. Recognizing his merit and zeal, Celestine approved 
his design, and, as a mark of esteem, raised him to the 
rank of a Roman prince, and gave him the name of Patri- 
cius, signifying patrician, a.d. 431. 

Q. When did St. Patricius or Patrick arrive in Ire- 
land ? 

A. After being consecrated bishop at Evreux, in Nor- 
mandy, in the forty-fifth year of his age, he set out for Ire- 
land, where he arrived in the year 432. 

Q. Give an account of his missionary labors. 

A. When he arrived in the island, the National Assem- 
bly was in session at Tara, and St. Patrick, presenting 
himself before it, briefly set forth his mission and the 
principal truths he came to teach. On this occasion he 
converted the arch-druid Dubtach, and gained the admira- 
tion of the whole assembly by his simple and earnest elo- 
quence. Then, entering heartily on his work, he went on 
foot through all the cities of the different provinces, and 
preached with so much unction, that vast multitudes were 
everywhere converted and baptized. 

Q. What great work did he soon afterwards accom- 
plish ? 

A. Under the patronage of the monarch Laegaire, he 



7o CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

had the statutes of the kingdom revised, and entered on 
the "Senchus Mor," or great book of laws, a.d. 438. 

Q. What happened soon afterwards in the neighboring 
island of Britain ? 

A. In the same year in which St. Patrick established 
the Metropolitan see of Armagh, a.d. 455, the natives of 
Britain were forced to call in the Saxons to assist them 
against the Scots and the Picts, who continued to keep 
them in a deplorable state by frequent incursions. 



CHAPTER 11. 



From Olioll IV., A.D. 463, to Dermid /., A.D, 544. 




OW many sovereigns ruled between Olioll IV. 
and Dermid I. ? 

A. Three, with an average reign of nine- 
teen years. 

Q. What honors did the Christian clergy receive under 
Olioll ? 

A. They took the place of the druids in the National 
Assembly, and in all other offices held by them. 

Q. How did Olioll IV. die ? 

A. After reigning twenty years, he was slain at the bat- 
tle of Ocha by his successor, Lugaid VH., a.d. 483. 

Q. What great poet did Ireland produce at this time ? 

A. Sedulius the Elder, who travelled through France, 
Italy, and parts of Asia, and then lectured at Rome, where 
he was greatly esteemed for his learning, a.d. 490. He 
became a priest, and wrote several works, among which 
is a Latin poem called " Carmen Paschale^'' on the life 
of Christ. From this the Church takes some of her most 
beautiful hymns, as, '•' A solis ortus cardi7ie,^^ for the feast 
of the Nativity, "■ Ifostis H erodes impie,"" for the Epi- 
phany,, and '"'•Salve, sancte parens ^^ which is used in 
masses of the Blessed Virgin, etc., etc. 

Q. What notable event took place under Lugaid VII. ? 



72 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

A. The death of the great Apostle St. Patrick, which 
occurred at Saul on the 17th of March, a.d. 493. 

Q. Give a summary of his labors. 

A. During the sixty years of his missionary career, he 
founded three hundred and fifty churches, consecrated 
over three hundred bishops, and raised up three thousand 
priests, who directed immense multitudes of the faithful, 
of both sexes, in the practice of Christian perfection. 

Q. What was the character of St. Patrick ? 

A. His most prominent traits were meekness, dignity, 
great faith, and a love for prayer and mortification. So 
intense was the devotion enkindled by his preaching and 
example, that all his disciples and attendants, and nearly 
all who received ordination at his hands, became remark- 
able for the holiness of their lives. 

Q. Mention a few of his disciples. 

A. St. Secundinus, first Bishop of Dunseglin, a.d. 447 ; 
St. Asicus, first Bishop of Elphin, 450 ; St. Benignus, his 
first successor in the see of Armagh, 468 ; St. Jarlath, 
of the same church, 481 ; St. Mael, first Bishop of Ardagh, 
488 ; St. Maccartin, first Bishop of Clogher, 506 ; and St. 
Conlaeth, first Bishop of Kildare, 519, etc., etc. 

Q. What new species of literature now made its ap- 
pearance in Ireland ? 

A. There api)eared little works called penance-books^ 
which were compiled by different saints for the instruc- 
tion and guidance of the clergy. As these were the first 
attempts towards establishing enlightened rules for the 
treatment of penitents^ they may be said to mark the be- 
ginning of the science of Moral Theology. 

Q. Were there also dogmatic or controversial treatises ? 

A. No ; because there existed no diversity of creed, 
and such expositions were not required. 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 73 

Q. Was the faith of Ireland the same as that of 
Rome ? 

A. Yes ; it was the same in every particular, except 
that afterwards, dm"ing a brief si)ace, a difference arose 
as. to the time of celebrating Easter. 

Q. What important colony was sent out from Ireland ? 

A. In the year 503 Fergus, Prince of Dalradia, e.ni- 
grated from Ulster, and settled with numerous colonists 
on the west coast of Albania. In the course of time this 
colony increased, and gradually obtained possession of 
all that country. 

Q. Who is the principal female saint of Ireland? 

A. The Virgin St. Brigid, " the Mary of Ireland," who 
is venerated as the patroness of the whole island. 

Q. What is said of her ? 

A. She was born during the lifetime of St. Patrick, and 
in the year 480 founded the celebrated monastery of Kil- 
dare, where she died in her seventieth year after innumer- 
able miracles and good works, a.d. 525. 

Q, For what is this age remarkable ? 

A. P'or the numerous monastic schools which were 
founded throughout the country. 

Q. Mention a few of these. 

A. Besides the school of Armagh, which existed since 
St. Benignus, a.d. 468, the principal ones were Mayo, 
founded by St. Ailbe in 515; Clones^ by St. Tigernach 
in 520 ; Arran " of the Saints," by St. Enda in 525 ; Clo- 
nard, by St. Finian, the wise "tutor of the saints of Ire- 
land," in 530 ; and Eouth, by St. Mochta in 534. 

Q. Were there many other saints and founders besides 
those mentioned ? 

A, Yes ; between the years 432 and 534 there flourish- 
ed as many as three hundred and fifty saintly bishops,^ 
\ 



74 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

who founded churches^ and excited the admiration of the 
faithful, by the eminent hoHness of their Hves. 

■Q. What was the chief aim of these founders ? 

A. Their main object was to estaWish holy retreats 
where men might give themselves to prayer and medi- 
tation, to labor and study, to penance and works of 
sanctification, 

Q. What else may be said of these pious abodes ? 

A. " There, also, were trained an entire population of 
philosophers, of writers, of architects, of carvers, of paint- 
ers, of caligraphers, of musicians, poets, and historians; 
but, above all, of missionaries and preachers, destined to 
spread the light of the Gospel and of Christian education, 
not only in all the Celtic countries, of which Ireland was 
always the nursing mother, but throughout Europe, among 
all the Teutonic races — among the Franks and Burgundi- 
ans, who were already masters of Gaul, as well as amid 
the dwellers by the Rhine and Danube, and up to the 
frontiers of Italy."— Montalembert's Mo?tks of the Wesf, 
vol. iii., lib. viii., p. 6S. 




CHAPTER III. 

From Dermid I.^ A.D. 544, to Hugh IL, A.D. 572. 

HAT was the character of Dermid I. ? 

A. He was remarkably able and brave, 
but his great love of justice led him into dif- 
ficulties with the clergy on account of his 
excessive rigor. 

Q. What afflicted the country soon after his accession ? 

A. A terrible pestilence called the Yellow Plague, which 
carried off nearly one- third of the people. 

Q. What celebrated schools were founded during his 
reign ? 

A. Clonmacnoise, by St. Kiaran in 548 ; Bangor, by St. 
Comgall in 549 ; and Glendalough, by St. Kevin in 560. 

Q. What is said of these institutions ? 

A. The buildings composing them were generally small, 
but numerous, and were usually made of timber, wattles, 
and clay, though stone and cement were sometimes used. 
In this case the cells of the monks were circular, with 
arched stone roofs without mortar. Each monastery cover- 
ed a large extent of ground, and was surrounded by a wall. 

Q. What were the usual occupations of the monks ? 

A. While some worked in wood, in bronze, and in 
leather, others were employed as copyists, or in studying 
or teaching Latin, Gaelic, Greek, Hebrew, and Sacred 
Scripture. Music, poetry, logic, history, philosophy, and 
astronomy were also taught by them. 



76 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

Q. How were they supported ? 

A. By offerings, collections, endowments, and the 
labor of their hands. 

Q. What great man flourished at tliis epoch ? 

A. St. Columba, the Apostle of the Picts. 

Q. Sketch his early career. 

A. This celebrated missionary was born at Garten, 
Kilmacrenan, in Ulster, on the 7th of December, a.d. 
521. After completing his studies at Clonard and other 
schools, he gave himself to the service of God, and in 
quick succession, founded monasteries at Derry in 545 ; 
at Kells in 550, at Duleek in 551, at Swords in 553, and 
at Durrow in the same year. 

Q. What course did he then pursue ? 

A. In consequence of a breach between himself and 
the monarch Dermid I., he left Ireland with twelve disci- 
ples, and landed at lona, an isle on the west coast of 
Scotland, where he built a monastery, and entered on his 
missionary labors among the Picts^ a.d. 564. 

Q. How did Dermid violate the rights of the clergy ? 

A. At the National Assembly held at Tara, a certain 
prince drew upon himself the penalty of death by an act 
of violence which he committed during the session. The 
guilty man fled for safety to a church near by, but even 
this sacred asylum did not save him, and being brought 
out, he was put to death by order of Dermid, 

Q. What resulted from this ? 

A. To punish this violation of the right of sanctuary 
claimed by the clergy, St. Ruadan went in solemn proces- 
sion with his clergy around the hill of Tara, the home of 
the monarch, and invoked the malediction of God upon 
the place. '^From that day," says the annalist, "no king 
ever sat at Tara." 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 77 

Q. What chastisement overtook Dermid himself? 

A. He was killed in battle two years after the desertion 
of Tara, after reigning twenty years. 

Q. How did the abandonment of Tara affect the 
country ? 

A. After that event the monarchs usually dwelt at 
Aileach in Ulster ; but their influence was weakened by 
the gradual estrangement of the other provinces, each of 
which contended for the honor of having the chief capital 
within its own borders. 

Q. Was the right of asylum better observed after this? 

A. Yes ; the fate of Tara caused this custom to be re- 
spected^ and it was soon afterwards introduced by Irish 
missionaries into various countries of Europe, where it 
did good service during the middle ages. 

Q. What noted foreigner studied in Ireland during this 
age? 

A. St. Gildas, the first British writer, 494-570. Hav- 
ing gone to Ireland " to drink from its pure streams of 
sacred learning," he at length became professor at Ar- 
magh. After some years he made a pilgrimage to Rome, 
and presented Pope Agepetus with a beautiful Irish bell, 
but he soon returned to his adopted country, where he is 
said to have ended his life. 

Q. What native saints are worthy of mention ? 

A. St. Kieran, first Bishop of Ossory, a.d. 550 ; and 
St. Colman, first Bishop of Cloyne, 570. 



CHAPTER IV. 




Hugh II., A.D, 572 to 599. 

HAT National Assembly was held by Hugh 
11. ? 

A. The great Convention of Drumceit, 
A.D. 577. 

Q. For what purpose was it called ? 

A. First, to take measures for the suppression or banish- 
ment of the bards, who of late years had become trouble- 
some by their numbers and insolence ; second, to lay a 
larger tribute on the Irish colony in Albania ; and thirdly, 
to depose the prince of Ossory for refusing to pay tribute 
to the supreme monarch. 

Q. Of whom was the assembly composed ? 

A. It was composed of bishops and abbots, of princes 
and provincial kings, and was presided over by the su- 
preme monarch in person. The great St. Cohunba and 
Aidan, King of Dalradia, were also present to plead the 
cUuse of the Albanian colony. 

Q. What resulted from the deliberations of this assem- 
bly ? 

A. Through the influence of St. Columba the bards 
were spared, though subjected to certain useful restrictions. 
Thus, land was assigned to them on which they were to 
reside permanently, and they were required to give free 
instruction to all who sought it ; secondly, the colony of 
Dalradia was declared free, independent and exempt 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 79 

from all tribute to the monarch of Ireland. The third 
question remained unsettled. 

Q, Mention some of the labors of St. Columba in Al- 
bania. 

A. Besides transcribing several copies of the Sacred 
Scriptures, he founded many churches and monasteries, 
and ruled his principal foundation at lona with so much 
wisdom during thirty years, that, in a short time, the fame 
of this new institute spread far and wide. Crowds flock- 
ed from Ireland to join the community, and St. Columba 
set them an example of zeal by carrying the light of the 
Gospel to the Picts whose apostle he became. 

Q. When did St. Columba die ? 

A. On Sunday evening the 9th of June, a.d. 597, in the 
seventy-sixth year of his age. 

Q. What fame was acquired by lona ? 

A. During more than three hundred years it continued 
to be the abode of sanctity and letters, and a light to all 
the northern regions. It acquired especial fame, how- 
ever, for the number of remarkable missionaries which it 
sent forth to convert the different Saxon kingdoms of 
Britain. 

Q. What caused lona to decline ? 

A. It began to decline on account of the invasion of 
the Danes, who at different times massacred several of its 
inmates. Finally, it was deserted altogether. Then dur- 
ing several centuries its name and its greatness were alike 
forgotten. At length, however, it is again remembered 
and revered. Dr. Johnson, who had the honor of calling 
attention to it, speaks of it thus : "^ That man is little to 
be envied whose patriotism would not gain force upon 
the plain of Marathon, or whose piety would not grow 
warmer upon the ruins of lona." 



So CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

Q. Mention some of the saints of this era in Ireland. 

A. St. Ida, abbess, 569; St. Brendan of Birr, 571; 
St. Brendan of Clonfert, 577 ; St. Fachnan of Ross, 580 ; 
St. Fergus of Down, 583, and St. Canice of Kilkenny, 

527-598- 

Q. VVliat is related of St. Brendan of Clonfert .? 

A. It is said that in his zeal for souls he sailed forth in 
quest of pagan lands and discovered America, which he 
penetrated as far as the Ohio River. 

Q. What do antiquarians say of America ? 

A. They assert that North America was known to the 
Irish a thousand years ago, and that the country was 
then called Irland it Mikla, or Greater Ireland. 

Q. What Irish saints sojourned in other lands at this 
time ? 

A. St. Fridolin, " the Traveller," who founded several 
monasteries in France and Switzerland, and that of Sekm- 
gen on an isle in the Rhine ; St. Fregidian, Bishop of 
I^ucca in Italy, a.d. 587 ; and many others less known. 

Q. What was a noted trait of the Irish saints in gen- 
eral ? 

A. Their love of pilgrimages. 

Q. What else was still more remarkable in them ? 

A. They were remarkable for the rigor of their mortifi- 
cations and penances, and for the zeal with which they 
sought to bring heathen nations to a knowledge of 
Christ. 

Q. What was the eftect of this twofold character ? 

A. They spread over Europe and founded more than one 
hundred monasteries outside of Ireland ; but the extreme 
severity of their discipline afterwards induced their suc- 
cessors to adopt the milder rule introduced by St. Bene- 
dict. 




CHAPTER V. 

From Hugh III.^ A.D, 599, to Dom?iaIl II., A.D. 628. 

I HAT is noticeable in the history of this era ? 
A. But little of the political history of the 
country is recorded. In accordance with 
the spirit of the times, the annalists, who 
were generally monks, gave more importance to ecclesi- 
astical than to civil matters. 

Q. Is this to be regretted ? 

A. Yes ; for leaving other considerations aside, it would 
have been extremely interesting to note the effect pro- 
duced on the princes and people of the country by the 
hosts of saints that flourished at this time ? 

Q. What event now took place in Britain ? 

A, In the year 596, Pope St. Gregory the Great sent 
St. Augustine with a body of monks to preach the Gospel 
to the Saxons. These missionaries succeeded in convert- 
ing Ethelbert, King of Kent, the smallest of the eight 
kingdoms into which the country was divided. 

Q. What was the final result of this mission ? 

A. After the death of St. Augustine, a.d. 607, the 
greater part of the newly-baptized relapsed into their old 
superstitions, and the country became almost entirely 
pagan once more. 

Q. By whom was Britain finally drawn from the dark- 
ness of paganism ? 

A. Mostly by zealous monks from Ireland and lona. 



S2 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

These traversed the coiintr}^ built numerous monas.terfes, 
and;, finally, after great labors, succeeded in imparting a 
knowledge of the true God to the inhabitants. 

Q. What does Camden, an English historian, say of 
these missionaries ? 

A. He says that " the disciples of St. Patrick made 
such great progress in Christianity, that in the following 
age Ireland was called the ^'Island of Saints," and none 
could be more learned and holy than the Irish monks in 
their own country, in Britain, and on the continent of 
FAirope, " 

Q. What is the testimony of Venerable Bede, the 
Father of English history ? 

A. He declares that, during this age, Ireland supplied 
all Europe with multitudes of zealous missionaries, who 
announced the name of Jesus Christ among some nations^ 
and revived it among others. 

Q. Who is the most celebrated of these missionaries ? 

A. St. Columban, who was born in Leinster, a.d. 5437 
and trained at Bangor, where, under St. Comgall, he drank 
in piety and knowledge as from a holy welL The scenes 
of his labors were Gaul and Italy. 

Q. GiVe a sketch of bis career in Gaol. 

A. About the year 585, St. Columban left Ireland with 
twelve companions and passed into Gaul. On account 
of the invasions of the barbarians and the negligence of 
the bishops, many abuses existed in that country, and the 
discipline of the Church was entirely neglected. Mortifi- 
cation and penance were wholly unknown, though the 
people still thought themselves good Christians ; but St. 
Columban preached wherever he went, and the sanctity 
of his life added weight to his instructions, and induced 
many persons to lead true Christian lives. His reputa- 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. %2i 

tion at length reached the court of King Goutran, of 
Burgundy, who gave him land, on which he built the 
famous monastery of Luxeuil, and afterwards . that of 
Fontaine. His labors in this "province have caused him 
to be looked upon as the Apostle of Eastern France. 

Q. Why did St. Columban leave Gaul ? 

A. After laboring twenty-five years in Gaul, he was 
forced to go elsewhere on account of the persecutions of 
Theodric^ King of Burgundy, whom he reproved severely 
on account of his scandalous life. 

Q. What did Columban then do ? 

A. He went to preach to the pagans of Switzerland, 
and then to Italy, where he was well received by King 
Agilulph of Lombardy. Here he founded the great mon- 
astery of Bobbio, where he died on the 21st of November, 

A.D. 615. 

Q. What is said of his character and abilities ? 

A. He was just the man for the age. P'irm. bold, and 
zealous, he admonished pope and king as readily as he 
did the poorest peasant. He is the author of commenta- 
ries on the psalter, several small poems, some letters, six- 
teen homilies, and a work against the Arians. 

Q. Mention other saints of this age. 

A. In Ireland, St. Comgall, abbot, 601 ; St. Colman, 
Bishop of Dromore, 616 ; St. Eugenius, Bishop of Derry, 
618, St. Builhe, founder of the great school of Monaster- 
boice, 621 ; and St. Luanus, who built several monaster- 
ies, 622 ; in France, there flourished St. Maxentia, virgin 
and martyr ; and St. Osmanna, virgin and recluse. 




CHAPTER VI. 

From Donmall II., A.D. 628, io Fiii7iacta II., A.D. 675. 

HAT controversy arose under Donmall H. ? 
A. In his reign a dispute arose as to the 
proper time for celebrating Easter. The 
custom prevailing in Ireland was introduced 
by St. Patrick, and had long been followed at Rome, but 
as it w^as faulty, a more perfect calculation was adopted 
by the popes. The new system used the Alexandrian 
cycle of nineteen years, to ascertain the age of the moon, 
and made Easter fall on the Sunday following the four- 
teenth day of the moon ; w^hereas the old method employed 
the Jewish cycle of eighty-four years, and often celebrated 
Easter on the fourteenth day itself. 

Q. What did Pope Honorius do ? 

A. In the year 630 he addressed a letter to the Scots 
or Irish, exhorting them " not to continue to celebrate an 
Easter contrary to the Paschal calculation, and to the 
synodal decrees of all the bishops on earth." 

Q. Did this letter produce a good effect ? 

A. Yes; a synod was held near Leighlin, and it was 
agreed to send a deputation to Rome to examine the 
practices of" the mother of all the churches." The prin- 
cipal opponent of the new system was St. Fintan, Abbot 
of Taigmon : and its strenuous advocates were St. Lase- 
rian and St. Cummian. The latter defended the Roman 
custom in a learned treatise addressed to Segenius, Abbot 
of lona. 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY, 85 

Q, What was the result of the controversy ? 

A. On the return of the deputation, the Roman prac- 
tice was adopted throughout the southern half of Ireland, 
A,D. 633 ; but the north continued to adhere to the 
ancient usage for a few years more. 

Q. How was the peace of the country disturbed for a 
moment ? 

A. Congall, Prince of Ulidia, coveted the kingdom of 
Ulster, and, to satisfy his ambition, called to his standard 
several bands of Picts, Britons, Saxons, and Albanian 
Scots ; but the monarch, Domnall II., marched against 
this horde and defeated them with great slaughter. 

Q. What great nurseries of learning were founded 
under Domnall II. '^ 

A. The monastery of Devenish was established by St. 
Lasf^^rian, who died a.d. 638, and the celebrated school 
of Lismore in Munster, by St. Carthagh, who also went to 
his reward in that year. 

Q. Give the number of students in some of the monas- 
tic schools at this time. 

A. Lothra had 150 students; Taghmon, 152; Foure, 
300 ; Cong, 300 ; Balysadare, 300 ; Louth, 480 ; Lis- 
more, 800; Rathin, 860; Clonfert, 900; Leighlin, 1,500; 
Arran, 1,500; Devenish, 1,500; Bangor, 3,000; Clonard, 
3,000 ; Annadown, 3,000 ; and Armagh, 4,000. Later 
on, the last mentioned had as many as 7,000, with one 
hundred lecturers. 

Q. By whom was Switzerland converted? 

A. By St. Gall, who accompanied St. Columban to 
that country and remained there after him. After estab- 
lishing a monastery, and bringing the inhabitants to the 
faith, he died in the year 646. 

Q. What natives of Ireland were laboring in Britain ? 



86 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

A. The most noted is St. Aidan, who came from lona 
with twelve monks, and preached to the pagans of North- 
umbria at the request of Oswald, then- king. The saint 
built a monastery at Mailross, and another on the Isle of 
Lindisfarne, a.d. 635. After a laborious life of seventeen 
years as bishop, he died in 651, and was succeeded by 
St. Finian, another monk of lona. This new apostle 
had the happiness to baptize Penda, King of Mercia, 
and Sigebert, of East AngHa, together with many of their 
courtiers and subjects, a.d. 660. 

Q. What affliction visited Ireland meanwhile ? 

A. In May, 656, a remarkable solar eclipse took place, 
and in August of the same year a pestilence, called the 
Yellow Plague, broke out ; and, continuing its ravages 
for several years, swept away two-thirds of the inhabi- 
tants. 

Q. What important conference took place in Britain ? 

A. That of Whitby, held a.d. 664, to decide, as in 
Ireland, as to the proper time of celebrating Easter. 

Q. What was the result ? 

A. The monks of lona upheld their ancient custom, 
and the great body of the Saxons favored their old mas- 
ters ; but, the influence of Rome was too great, and the 
assembly, or rather the king, decided against them in 
favor of St. Peter. 

Q. What did St. Colman, the successor of Finian, 
do? 

A. Rather than give up the custom of his forefathers, 
he resigned his see, and withdrew with thirty Saxon and 
all his Irish monks to the Isle of Inisboffin on the west 
coast of Ireland, a,d. 667. Here he built a monastery 
for his countrymen, and afterwards another in Mayo for 
his Saxon followers. The latter soon became known as 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 87 

" Mayo of the Saxons," and had as many as three thou- 
sand students- St. Cohiian died in 676. 

Q. Did many other strangers go to reside in Ireland ? 

A. Yes ; Bede tells us that in the time of Finian and 
Cohnan, many nobles and others of the English nation 
were living in Ireland, whither they had gone either to 
cultivate the sacred studies or to lead more chaste lives. 
Some became monks, and others merely attended the 
monasteries to hear the lectures of the professors. But 
all were cheerfully received by the Irish, who supplied 
them gratis with books and teachers. — Eccl. Mist., Hi., 27. 

Q. How does Camden, the English historian, confirm 
this? 

A. He tells us that ancientl}'- the English Saxons 
flocked to Ireland as to the mai't of sacred learning, and 
that this fact is frequently mentioned in the lives of the 
eminent men among them. Thus, of a certain Salgenius 
we read that, 

" With love of learning and examples fired. 
To Ireland, famed for wisdom, he retired." 

Brit, de Hibern., p. 730. 

Q. Mention a few of those who studied in Ireland. - 

A. Eanfrid, King of Bernicia, a section of Northum- 
bria, a.d. 6t,t, ; Oswald, King of Northumbria, 635-642 ; 
and Alcfrid, King of the same realm, 685-705, were in 
Ireland during sixteen years, from a.d. 617 to 633 ; Dago- 
bert II., King of Austrasia, 673-679, resided there from 
the year 655 to 670. 

Q. What missionaries did Ireland send to Gaul ? 

A. St. Eustasius, Abbot of Luxeuil, a.d. 625 ; St. Psal- 
modius, hermit, near Limoges, 630; St. Deicola, Ab- 
bot of Lure, St. Plechelm, Apostle of Guelderland, 632 ; 



8S CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

St. Wiro, confessor of Pepin of Herstal, and St. Fursey, 
who first labored in Britain under Sigebert, King of East 
Anglia, and then went to Gaul, where he died after found- 
ing the monastery of Lagney, near Paris, 650 ; St. Folian, 
martyr, 655 ; St. Caidoc, priest, "to whom Ireland gave 
birth and the Gallic land a grave ;" and St. Fiaker, an^ 
choret and confessor, near Paris, 670. To these must be 
added St. Livin, who suffered martyrdom in Flanders in 
the year ()t^2>' 

Q. What is said of the saints that died in Ireland dur- 
ing this era ? 

A. They are so numerous that it is impossible to name 
them all ; and what is truly surprising is, that nearly all 
were remarkable for their literary acquirements. Among 
those best known are St. Finbar, first Bishop of Cork, 
A.D. 570-630; St. Edan, first Bishop of Ferns, 560-632 ; 
St. Pulcherius, founder of the monastery of Leathmore,. 
550-656 ; and St. Aileran, Regent of the school of Ar- 
magh, 665. 






CHAPTER VII. 

Fi'om Fifinacta II., A.D. 675, to Domnall III.^ A.D. 743. 

OW long did Finnacta II. reign ? 
A. During twenty years. 
Q. What was his character ? 
A. He was a pious and hospitable mon- 
arch, and is honored as a saint in the Irish calendar. 

Q. What was the first important occurrence of his 
reign ? 

A. In the year 680 the Picts made a descent upon Ire- 
land, but they were totally defeated at Rathmore in An- 
trim and obliged to leave the country. 

Q. What other incursion soon took place ? 

A. Egfrid, King of Northumbria, sent Berctus, his gen- 
eral, to ravage the coast of I^einster. After slaying sev- 
eral of the clergy and the people, the invaders made 
good their escape with numerous captives and considera- 
ble booty, A.D. 684. 

Q. What is the principal event in the reign of Fin- 
nacta II. ? 

A. The abolition of the Boru or Leinster tribute, by 
this good monarch, at the request of St. Moling of Ferns, 
A.D. 687. 

Q. What other act shows the influence of the clergy ? 

A. Through the influence of St. Adamnan, Abbot of 
Ion a, in the following reign a law was passed for the pro- 



90 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

tection of women and children in time of war and civil 
strife. 

Q. Mention a few other occurrences of this time. 

A. In 700 and 712 bands of adventurers from Britain 
made descents on Ireland in quest of plunder, but they 
were driven off before inflicting serious injury. 

Q. Did the country then enjoy peace ? 

A. No ; the monarch Hugh V. carried on a war against 
Leinster, and, in a battle fought at Eraania, nine thousand 
men were left on the field, a.d. 733. 

Q. What is said of the religious state of the country ? 

A. It was in a very flourishing condition. Marianus 
Scotus, the annalist, tells us that at this period Ireland was 
full of learned men. 

Q. Did many of them go into other countries ? 

A. Yes ; Venerable Bede informs us that in his time 
they were daily coming into Britain, preaching the word 
of God with great devotion, — Eccl. Hist., Lib. III. 
Cap. 3. 

Q. Did any repair to France ? 

A. Yes; as w^e learn from P^ric of Auxerre, who cries^ 
out, "What shall I say of Ireland, which, despising the 
dangers of the deep, is, migrating with almost her whole 
train of philosophers to our shores." — Letter to Charles the 
Bald. 

Q. Give the testimony of Thierry. 

A. This author declares that Ireland counted a host of 
saints and learned men venerated in England and Gaul; 
for no country had furnished more Christian missionaries 
uninfluenced by other motives than pure zeal to commu- 
nicate to foreign nations the opinions and faith of their 
own land. — Hist, da la Conquete de r Afigleterre, Lib. X. 
Q. Mention some of those who labored in England. 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 91 

A. The most famous are St. Maildulf, a.d. 675, and St. 
Cuthbert, a.d. 687. The latter was Bishop of Lindis- 
farne, and the former, founder of the monastery of Maild- 
ulfsbury, from which the city of Mahnesbury takes its 
name. Maildulf was also master of St. Aldhelm, and the 
lirst to introduce Latin rhyme into England. 

Q. What learned Irish monk flourished in Albania ? 

A. St. Adamnan, ninth abbot of Jona, and author of a 
work on the Holy Land, and a life of St. Columba, which 
is said to be the best piece of Latin writing of the middle 
ages, a;d. 704. 

Q. Name some Irish saints honored on the Continent. 

A. At. Strasburg, St. Arbogast, bishop, 646-679; in 
Austrasia, St. Rouin, founder of the abbey of Beaulieu, 
594-680 ; in Picardy, St. Maguil, recluse, 685; at Fosse 
in Gaul, St. Ultan, abbot, 686 ; also at Strasburg, St. 
Florence, bishop, 687 ; in Franconia, St. Kilian, bishop, 
St. Colman, priest, and St. Totnan, deacon, martyrs, 
688 ; at Disenberg, in Germany, St. Disen, apostle and 
abbot, 715; and, in the same country, St. Albuin, Bishop 
of Buraburg and Apostle of Thuringia, a.d. 742. 

Q. Are these all that are known to us ? 

A. No; there were numerous, others ; but these few 
will show with what zeal the Irish nought to spread the 
Gospel throughout Northern Europe. Nor did they confine 
themselves to the North, for we also find them in Catho- 
lic Spain and Italy. Thus St. Cataldus became second 
Bishop of Tarentum, His image at Rome had an in- 
scription which is thus translated : 

" Hibernia gave me birth ; thence wafted o'er 
I sought the sacred Solymean shore. 
To thee, Tarentum, holy rites I gave, 
Precepts divine; and thou to me a grave." 



92 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

Q. What native of Ireland acquired honor in Spain ? 

A. SeduUus the Younger, who travelled to Rome, and 
took an active part in a council held by Gregory II., a.d. 
721. He then became Bishop of Oreto in Spain, and 
acquired fame by his " Couimentary on the Epistles of St. 
Paul," and other learned, works. 

Q. What custom had now come into use in Ireland ? 

A. That of gossipred, which means that the different 
chiefs were wont to stand as sponsors at the baptism of 
the children of their clansmen. 

Q. What is to be said of this custom ? 

A. It gratified the people and served to knit still more 
closely the affectionate ties which bound them to their 
chiefs. 




CHAPTER VIII. 

From Domnall III., A,D. 743, to Hugh VI., A.D. 797. 

HAT gives us an insight into the character ot 
this new era ? 

A. The fact that several monarchs and 
princes resigned their crown and retired to 
monasteries, where they gave themselves up to prayer and 
mortification. Among these were Domnall III., who 
after reigning twenty years, closed his life at lona, and 
Niall \\., who died a monk at the same place, a.d. 778. 

Q. Did many of the people imitate these good mon- 
archs ? 

A. Yes; it is calculated that about one-third of the in- 
habitants of the island gave themselves to the service of 
God in religion. 

Q. Who succeeded Niall II. ? 

A. Donncad I., who ruled for twenty-seven years, a.d. 

770-797- 

Q, What new religious order sprang up about this 

time ? 

A. The Culdees, who were a species of lay monks. At 
first they had no fixed rule or habitations, but about the 
middle of this century they were formed into regular 
communities. They were celebites, and lived on the 
charity of the faithful and by the labor of their own hands. 

Q. Did learning continue to flourish ? 

A. Yes ; the different monastic schools were now 
filled to overflowing, and the extent and profundity of 



94 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

their course of instruction is best shown in the many 
learned rnen they sent forth into other countries. 

Q. What new work was now brought out ? 

A. The first prayer book was compiled by St. Colgu, 
who died a.d. 791. 

Q. What native of' Ireland is classed with the heretics 
of this era ? 

A. Clement, who opposed St. Boniface in Germany, 
and rejected the canons or ecclesiastical laws. He also 
erred concerning predestination, and taught that Christ, in 
his descent into hell, delivered all the souls of the 
damned, a.d. 745. 

Q. Who was St. Boniface ? 

A. The apostle of Germany. According to some au- 
thors he was a native of Ireland, but however that may 
be, it is certam he spent several years in its schools. — See 
Pertz, Ma7'ia?itis^ ajid Trithemius. 

Q. What other great man studied in Ireland ? 

A. St. Willibrord, who converted the inhabitants of 
Friesland. This saint lived in Ireland for twelve years, 
during which he prepared himself for his future labors by 
prayer and the study of the sacred scriptures. 

Q. Mention a few of the native saints of this era. 

A. St. Cuchumne, author of a Latin hymn in honor of 
the Mother of. God, a.d. 746 ; St. Rumold, bishop, mar- 
tyr, and Patron of Mechlin in Brabant, 775 ; and St. Vir- 
gilius. Patron of Carinthia and Bishop of Salsburg. 

Q. What fame was acquired by the latter ? 

A. After leaving Ireland about the year 746, he so- 
journed in France for two years, and then went to Bava- 
ria, where he won a great reputation in controversy with 
St. Boniface, by his superior knowledge in astronomy and 
theology. 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 95 

Q. What was the result of this dispute ? 

A. Having been accused of heresy to Pope Zachary, 
for maintaining first that the earth was a sphere and in- 
habited on the other side, and secondly for teaching that 
in baptism an ungrammatical form is valid, provided there 
is an intention of baptizing, the pope approved of the lat- 
ter proposition, but advised that a council be held, and, 
should the first charge prove true, the offender was to be 
expelled froui the Church. It is probable, however, that 
Virgilius gave a satisfactory explanation of his doctrine, 
for, instead of suffering excommunication, he was made 
Bishop of Salsburg, A.D. 766. 

Q. Give the subsequent life of this learned man. 

A. After his elevation to the episcopate, he built a 
magnificent basilica at Salsburg in honor of St. Rupert ; 
but the greatest service he rendered to religion was the 
part he took in the conversion of Carinthia. Having 
educated and baptized two princes of that province, he 
was thus enabled to bring its inhabitants to the faith." He 
died about the year 785, and was canonized by Gregory 
IX., A.D. 1233. He is honored as Apostle of Carinthia. 

Q. What great universities did Irish scholars found on 
the Continent ? 

A. Those of Paris and Pavia. 

Q. When Avere they established? 

A. In the time of the Emperor Charlemagne. 

Q. Give the names of the founders. 

A. They are known as Clement and Albin. 

Q. What do the annalists say of them ? 

A. They tell us that in the year 792, when learning was 
almost everywhere lost, two men from Ireland landed in 
France. Seeing the people busy buying and selling, they 
cried aloud, " If anybody wants wisdom, let him come to 



96 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

us and receive it. for we have it to sell." On hearing 
these words frequently repeated, the crowds were aston- 
ished and thought them mad. But the strangers knew 
what they were about, for Charlemagne, hearing of the 
affair, sent for them, and finding them in truth very 
learned, received them in his palace. After a time, Cle- 
ment began to teach at Paris under the patronage of the 
emperor, and Albin was sent into Italy, where he organ- 
ized a school near Pavia for the instruction of the young 
nobility. Such are the circumstances connected with the 
origin of the first universities of the world. 

Q. What other foundations were made by Irishmen 
outside their own country ? 

A. It has been calculated that about this time the Irish 
monks had established twelve monasteries in England, 
thirteen in Scotland, nine in Belgium, nineteen in France, 
ten in Alsace, seven in Lorraine, sixteen in Bavaria, six in 
Italy, and more than fifteen in Switzerland and Thuringia. 

Q. Mention the most famous of these. 

A. lona in Scotland, Glastonbury, Malmesbury and 
Lindisfarne in England ; Luxeuil and Fontaine in France ; 
St. Gall in Switzerland ; Ratisbon in Germany •, and 
Bobbio in Italy. 

Q. Give the number of Irish saints honored throughout 
Europe. 

A. There were forty-four venerated in England ; forty- 
five, in France, of whom six were martyrs ; thirty in Bel- 
gium ; one hundred and fifty in Germany, of whom 
thirty-six were martyrs ; thirteen in Italy ; and eight, all 
martyrs, in Norway and Iceland ; besides several in 
Scotland and elsewhere. 



SECOND PERIOD. 
THE DANISH ^A^ARS, 

From the Arrival of the Danes, a,d. 795, to that 
OF the Anglo-Normans, a-d« 1169. 



CHAPTER L 




From Hugh VI., A.D. 797, to Malachy /., A.D. 845. 

HO occupied the throne at the opening of this 
period ? 

A. Hugh VI., \dio ruled for twenty four 
years. 

Q. How was the country disturbed in his reign ? 
A. It was disturbed by the attacks of the Northmen or 
Danes. 

Q. Who were the Danes ? 

A. The Danes were natives of Norway and Denmark, 
who lived by piracy and by plundering the coast of 
Europe, under the guidance of sea-kings. 
Q. Describe their religion and character. 
A. They were pagans of the most bitter and supersti- 
tious type, and, as they believed that future happiness 
depended on valor in battle, they were also extremely 
venturesome and brave. 



98 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

Q. How were they armed. 

A. They carried either a heavy battle-axe and a two- 
edged sword, or a long bow and javelin, together with a 
large leather or wooden shield. 

Q. What was their career in other lands ? 

A. After ravaging France for several years, many of 
them at length settled in that part known as Normandy, 
A.D. 912. They subdued England and gave several kings to 
the throne, a.d. 1016-1066. In distant Italy they estab- 
lished another kingdom, a.d. toi8 ; but in Spain and Ire- 
land they were stopped in their conquering career. 

Q. When did they appear in Ireland ? 

A. At the close of the reign of Donncad I., a.d. 795, 
they made their first descent on the Isle of Rathlin, upon 
the northern coast. 

Q. What took place soon after this ? 

A. As if anticipating approaching danger, the clergy 
sought and obtained exempcion from military service 
from the monarch Hugh VI. about the year 800. 

Q. When did die Danes arrive in force ? 

A. In the year 812 they began to ravage the South of 
Ireland, but, on this occasion, four hundred of them were 
slain as they retired to their ships. 

Q. What able chief took command of the invaders ? 

A. Turgesius, the Tyrant, who arrived in Ireland about 
the year 818. 

Q. What took place in that year ? 

A. They surprised the monastery of Bangor and put 
nine hundred monks to the sword. 

Q. What other excesses did they commit ? 

A. During the next twenty-five years the island was in- 
fested by the invaders, and all who fell into their hands 
had to pay a tax called airgiad sro7ie, or nose moneyj 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 99 

if they would save their noses. Ruin and desolation fol- 
lowed their track ; and churches, sacred shrines, and mo- 
nastic schools were everywhere destroyed by them. 

Q. Mention some of the places thus ravaged. 

A. They plundered lona, a.d. 798 ; Bangor, 824 ; 
Down, 825 ; Armagh, 832 ; Lismore, %2iZ \ Kildare, 837 ; 
Dublin, 838 ; Ferns, '^2>^ ; Cork, 840 ; and Clonfert, 842. 

Q. What was the fate of Turgesius ? 

A. Having been captured by Malachy, King of Meath, 
he was drowned in punishment of his crimes, a.d. 843. 
His followers were then attacked on all sides, and after 
great numbers of them had been slain, the rest thought it 
prudent to leave the island. 

Q. How did their invasions affect the country ? 

A. They were the source of manifold evils. Libraries 
were destroyed, piety declined, and many learned men 
took refuge on the Continent. 

Q, Mention a few of these. 

A. Dicuil, author of a geographical treatise styled De 
Mensura Orbis Terrce ; Dongal, who wrote in defense of 
sacred images, and addressed an epistle to Charlemagne 
on the solar eclipse of the year 810. After residing at 
St. Denis, near Paris, this learned man became a professor 
of the University of Pavia in Italy, where he died ; St. 
Findan, founder of the monastery of Richnaw in Germany, 
A.D. 827; and Claude Clement, who went to France, 
where he wrote an accordance of the Evangelists, and 
commentaries on the Pentateuch, the Books of Josue, 
Judges, Ruth, and the Psalms ; and on the Gospel of 
St. Matthew, and the Epistles of St. Paul. Some homilies 
and historical memoirs are also attributed to him. 




CHAPTER II. 

Fro7n Malachy I., A.D. 845, to Flami, A.D. 879. 

OW long did Malachy I. reign ? 

A. Like his successor, Hugh VH., he 
reigned sixteen years. 

Q. What marked his accession ? 

A. The beginning of his reign was signalized by as 
many as seven victories, in which more than five thousand 
of the Danes were slain. 

Q. What favored the success of the natives ? 

A. The dissensions that arose among the invaders. 
The adventurers from Denmark attacked and dispersed 
those from Norway, and the consequence was that as 
long as they remained divided, they ceased to be really 
formidable to the country. On one occasion both parties 
lost one thousand men, and on another, a still greater 
number. 

Q. What means were adopted by the natives to protect 
their lives and treasures ? 

A. Massive stone round-towers were everywhere erect- 
ed, and in these, women, children, and other noncom- 
batants found the needed security. 

Q What transpired in Albania? 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. loi 

A. Keneth MaCx\lpine subdued the Picts, and, fixing 
the seat of power at Scone, became the first king of all 
Albania, or Scotland, *a.d. 850. 

Q. State the relations held with France. 

A. Malachy I. sent an embassy to Charles the Bald, 
King of France, and the friendship then mutually pledged 
has been cherished by the two nations even to recent 
times. 

Q. How did Hugh VII. illustrate his reign ? 

A^ By a decisive victory which he won over a force of 
five thousand Danes. 

Q. How did the invaders avenge this defeat ? 

A. They burned Armagh, and put one thousand per- 
sons to the sword. 

Q. What was now the general condition of the coun- 
tiy ? 

A. On account of home-feuds and the ravages of the 
Northmen, the former happiness and prosperity of the 
country were fast disappearing ; but, despite the ravages 
of war, we often meet with men and deeds that are wor- 
thy of the highest praise. 

Q, What great man flourished in this age ? 

A. John Scotus Erigena, the first scholastic philosopher 
of the middle ages. 

Q. Sketch his life. 

A. This learned doctor and extraordinary thinker passed 
from Ireland into France, some time before the year 847. 
Charles the Bald welcomed him to his court, and placed 
him at the head of the school of the palace. After a most 
brilliant career, he died about the year 873. Some few, 
however, maintain that he retired to England, where he 
lived till 884. 

Q. Why is he especially remarkable ? 



I02 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

A. After the barbarous ages which foUovved the north- 
ern invasions in Europe, Erigena ^ose suddenly to the 
heights of metaphysics, reduced the Christian faith to a 
scientific system, and acquired special fame as the founder 
of the system of scholastic philosophy, which prevailed in 
the middle ages. He was also, it is said, the first to hold 
heretical opinions concerning the August Sacrament of the 
Altar. 

Q. Mention some of his works. 

A. Besides translating into Latin the Greek works of 
the pseiido Denis the Areopagite, he composed tracts 
"On Predestination,"' " On the Vision of God," ''On the 
Body and Blood of Christ," and philosophical treatises 
"On the Division of Nature," and " On 'the Creation of 
the Soul and its Return to God." 

Q. What other philosopher was a contemporary of 
Erigena? 

A. Macarius, who also lived in France, where he pub- 
lished a treatise, De Anima^ " On the Soul," maintaining 
the singular doctrine that one soul animated all man- 
kind. 

Q. Mention a few of tlie saints who flourished at this 
era. 

A. Among the most noted are St. Donatus, St. 
Andrew, and St. Modwina, virgin, who built several mon- 
asteries in England and Scotland ; St. Moengal, who 
taught at St. Gall, in Switzerland ; St. Patrick, Abbot of 
Glastonbury, in England, and St. Helias, Bishop of An- 
gouleme, in France, a.d. 876. 

Q. What is related of St. Donatus and St. Andrew ? 

A. These two- saints made a pilgrimage to Rome, and 
St, Donatus was made Bishop of Fiesole in Italy, and St. 
Andrew, Archdeacon in the same church. The former 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY, 103 

died about the year 863, and left several tracts, of which 
the following is a sample : 

" Far westward lies an isle of ancient fame, 

By nature blessed, and Scotia is her name ; 

An island rich, exhaustless is her store 

Of veiny silver and of golden ore. 
Her fruitful soil forever teems with wealth, 

With gems her waters, and her air with health. 

Her verdant fields with milk and honey flow, 

Her woolly fleeces vie with virgin snow. 

Her waving furrows float with bearded corn. 

And arms and arts her envied sons adorn, i 

No savage bear with lawless fury roves, 

No rav'ning lion through her sacred groves ; 

No poison there infects ; no scaly snake 

Creeps through the grass, nor frog annoys the lake. 

An island worthy of its pious race. 

In war triumphant, and unmatched in peace." 




CHAPTER III. 

From Flan7t^ A.D. 879, to Congall III., A.D. 919. 

OW long did Flann reign ? 

A. During a term of thirty-seven years, 
A.D. 879-916. 

Q. Who occupied the throne of England ? 

A. Alfred the Great, a.d. 871-900. 

Q. What is said of the reign of Flann ? 

A. Though the Danes continued their dissensions, and 
the monarch gained several victories over them, still this 
did not prevent them from plundering Glonard, a.d. 887, 
Armagh, 888, Cork, 913,' and Lismore in the same year. 
However, notwithstanding all this, the reign of Flann was 
comparatively prosperous and tranquil. 

Q. How is this fact explained ? 

A. At this time Harrold, who ruled Norway (885-934), 
turned his arms against the sea-kings, and, attacking them 
in their northern strongholds, pursued them with so much 
vigor during fifty years, that these pirates were unable to 
give much attention to foreign expeditions. 

Q. What is recorded of one of the historians of Ice- 
land ? 

A. A historian of Iceland relates that in the reign of 
Harrold a body of his enemies fled for safety to that 
island. Here, says he, they found Christian men who, 
" being unwilling to remain with heathens, went away 
forthwith, leaving behind them Irish books, small bells 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 105 

and staffs ; whence it was easy to perceive that they were 
of the Irish nation." Moreover, the names of Buo, John 
and Ernulph are given as those of Irish missionaries who 
labored in Iceland. — Vide Ara Multiscius in Schedce de 
Islandia, Cap. II. 

Q. Did the love of virtue and knowledge still prevail 
in Ireland ? 

A. Yes ; and despite the disorders of the times, many 
monasteries on the Continent continued to be regularly 
supplied with abbots and monks from Ireland. Thus, 
among those who went to France, we may mention St. 
Anatolius, bishop and confessor, who died at Salins about 
the middle of the tenth century. 

Q. What was done by Alfred the Great ? 
A. In his projects for the advancement of literature, 
Alfred sought the advice and direction of three natives of 
Ireland, who were remarkable by their piety and learning, 
A.D. 891. 

Q. Who occupied the throne of Munster at this time ? 
A. Cormac Mac Cullenan, Bishop of Cashel, who was 
crowned king of that province, a.d. 900. 
Q. What work is ascribed to him ? 
A. The historical compilation known as the *' Saltair of 
Cashel,'' a.d. 903. 

Q. Describe his character and fate. 
A. Cormac was a lover of learning and a man of j^eace, 
but, at the instigation of others, he undertook an expedi- 
tion into Leinster, and there at Ballaghmoon, in a battle 
fought against the forces of the rest of Ireland under 
Flann, he was defeated and slain with six thousand men, 
A.D. 907. 

Q. What is related of Flann on this occasion ? 
A. When the head of his adversary was brought to him 
^* 



lo6 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY: 

after the victory, Flann rebuked the bearer, and, rever- 
ently kissing the lips of the dead, ordered the remains to 
be decently interred. 

Q. What is said of his own death ? 

A. As became his virtue, and the peaceful tenor of his 
reign, Flann ended his life in a religious house in the 
sixty-eighth year of his age, June 8th, a.d. 916. 

Q. Who succeeded to the throne ? 

A. Niall IV., a brave monarch, whose short reign of 
three years is memorable only by his heroic death in an 
assault on Dublin, then held by the Danes, a.d. 919. 

Q. What class of saints was most numerous at this pe- 
riod ? 

A. They were mostly martyred ecclesiastics. 

Q. Why was this the case ? 

A. Because the Danes hated Christianity, and hence 
they took special delight in putting to death bishops, 
priests, and monks. 



CHAPTER ly. 




From Donncad II., A.D. 919, to Malachy II., A.D, 979. 

HAT was the condition of Ireland in the tenth 
century? 

A. Tike the rest of Europe, Ireland was 
at this period still harassed by the Danes, 
who inflicted the greatest miseries on the inhabitants. 
The most crying evils of all, however, were due to the 
jealousy and br©ils of the native princes struggling for 
supremacy. 

Q. What has been deduced from this state of things ? 

A. It is sometimes said by the enemies of Ireland that 
her history is but a catalogue of brief and bloody reigns. 

Q. Is this charge true ? 

A. No, it is not. Such a charge springs from igno- 
rance, and its falsity will appear if we compare the annals 
of Ireland with the contemporary history of other coun- 
tries. For instance, during this era, embracing sixty 
years of the tenth century — one of the most turbulent in 
Irish history — only three monarchs occupied the throne, 
so that each reigned on an average fully twenty years ; 
whereas, at the same epoch, in a shorter space of time, 
there died seven English kings, and as many as thirteen 
popes, who had not to battle against fierce Danes, as had 
the Irish monarchs. 

Q. How did Dpnncad II. signalize his accession? 

A. In the first year of his reign he attacked and slew a 



lo8 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY, 

large body of Danes who were returning from the plunder 
ofKells. 

Q. What other victory took place soon afterwards ? 

A. Several Irish vessels united under Faile Finn, and 
attacked the Danish fleet under Sitrick, in the harbor of 
Dundalk. After a desperate struggle, in which both parties 
lost their principal leaders, the enemy was dispersed with 
great loss. 

Q, Who, above all others, was the hero of this age ? 

A. Murkertach, the roydamna, or heir- apparent of the 
throne, who is styled the " Hector of the West " by the 
annalists, on account of his valor. 

Q. Mention some of his exploits. 

A. In the year 926 he slew eight hundred Danes, and 
afterwards, by other victories, kept them in check for a 
time. In 936 he stormed Dublin, expelled its garrison, 
and levelled its walls. In 940 he attacked the Northmen 
in their strongholds in the Hebrides, and returned to Ire- 
land loaded with spoils. Then after making a progress 
through the island and receiving hostages, he hastened to 
Ardee to oppose a new force of Danes under Earl Blacair, 
and there fell in battle, March 4, 943. 

Q. How was his death avenged ? 

A. In the year 944 Congall III. succeeded Donncad 
II. as monarch, and, three years later, he avenged Mur- 
kertach by slaying the victor of Ardee and one thousand 
of his followers. 

Q. For what is Congall's reign noted ? 

A. It is noted for the conversion of many Danes to 
Christianity, and for the breaking up of the clans into 
families which adopted separate names in order that they 
might be more easily distinguished. 

Q. Who succeeded Congall III. ? 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 109 

A. Doninall IV. who was hailed Ardrigh in the year 
955. He was the first to employ armed boats on the 
inland lakes, and by this means he did good service 
against the common enemv. 

Q. What princes reigned in Munster ? 

A. Keliachan, the hero of bardic tales, a.d, 942-960 ; 
Mahon, the victor in many battles, a.d. 960-976, and 
Brian, who was destined for more general fame, a.d. 976. 

Q. What ambition swayed these rulers ? 

A. -They all adopted the one policy and had the same 
end in view — to grasp the sovereignty of the whole island 
and fix it in their own Southern dominions. 

Q. What battle was fought in the reign of Domnall 
IV.? 

A. In his last year, a.d. 979, the Danes of Dublin en- 
tered Meath, but they were met and defeated at Tara, by 
Malachy, king of that province, who slew five thousand 
of them, and thereby gained such renown that he was 
chosen Ardrigh. 

Q. Name a few of the literary men of this era. 

A. Cormacan Eigeas, poet of Ulster, a.d. 948 ; Probus, 
biographer of St. Patrick, a.d. 948 ; and Keneth O'Hart- 
igan, poet, a.d. 975. 



CHAPTER V. 

Malachy II. and Brian Born, A.D. 980 /^ 1022. 



K 



OW did Malachy II. begin his reign ? 

A. Immediately on his accession he cap- 
tared Dublin, and liberated two thousand 
persons held in bondage there by the Danes ; 
but this stroke did not intimidate the invaders, and in a 
few years he was again obliged to attack them in their 
stronghold, a.d 994. An exploit performed on the latter 
occasion is the subject of the stanza, 

Let Erin remember the days of old, 

Ere her faithless sons betrayed her ; 

When Malachy wore the collar of gold, 

Which he won from the proud invader. — MooRE. 

Q. What provincial ruler held sway in the South ? 

A. Brian Boru, King of Munster, a.d, 976 to looi, 

Q. Give a sketch of this prince. 

A. Brian was born in the year 941, and at the death of 
his brother Mahon in 976, he succeeded to his crown. But 
this did not satisfy him. His passion was for war, and 
such was his ability, that in ten years, despite the opposi- 
tion of Malachy, he extended his authority over half the 
island. 

Q. How did he assist the monarch against the Danes ? 

A. Seeing the growing power of the invaders, Malachy 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. ill 

induced his rival to conclude an alliance for three years. 
Both accordingly united their forces, and compelled the 
Danes of Dublin to give them hostages and jewels. In 
the following year, at Glen-Mama, in Wicklow, they won 
a substantial victory, and slew six thousand of their ene- 
mies. 

Q. What served to arouse the ambition of Brian ? 

A. The foreign garrison of Dublin refused to pay trib- 
ute to the lawful monarch, and then intimated that, if 
Brian were willing, they would give hostages to him, and 
submit to his authority. 

Q. What step did Brian take ? 

A. He innnediately joined the Danes against Malachy, 
and soon after, at a conference held at Athlone, a.d. iooo, 
he gave that monarch the alternative of battle or of abdi- 
cating within a year. 

Q. What was the result ? 

A. Malachy was unsupported by his subjects, and at the 
expiration of a year, he met his rival at Tara, and quietly 
acknowledged him as Ardrigh. 

Q. How did Brian establish his authority ? 

A. He caused his authority to be respected throughout 
the island by making, frequent circuits or visitations of the 
provinces during the first seven years of his reign. 

Q. What custom did he establish ? 

A. He enacted a law concerning surnames, which he 
brought into general use, by obliging the clans to take the 
name of some ancestor, with the prefix " Mac " or " O," 
which signify respectively son and grandson. 

Q. What improvements were carried out ? 

A. Roads and bridges were repaired ; fortresses and 
towers were erected ; and schools, churches, and monas- 
teries were rebuilt. 



112 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

Q. What is said of Brian's court ? 

A. He held court at Kincora, in his native province, 
and there he was surrounded and flattered by poets and 
princes, and by the learned and the great, who flocked 
from all sides to enjoy his generous hospitality. All 
things promised well for the future, and festivities were 
the order of the day, till a taunt offered over a game of 
chess to Maelmurra, Prince of Leinster, changed the scene 
to one of warlike preparation. 

Q. What league was now formed ? 

A. Maelmurra opened negotiations with the Danes, and 
sending his agents to England, Denmark, and the Isle of 
Man ; to the Orkneys, the Hebrides, and the coast of 
Scotland, a grand league was organized for the invasion 
and conquest of Ireland. 

Q. How did Brian act in this emergency ? 

A. He set to work with his usual energy, and being 
nobly seconded by Malachy. the ex-monarch, and by 
nearly all the other native princes, he was soon ready to 
meet the invaders with twenty thousand men. 

Q. Describe the battle that followed? 

A. The forces of the enemy numbered twenty-one^ 
thousand, including fourteen hundred in chain armor, and 
were under such brave warriors as Anrud, Brodar, Sigurd, 
and Canuteson ; the Irish hosts were led by Murrogh, Ma- 
lachy, and the princes of Munster, Meath, and Connaught. 
The conflict took place at Clontarf near Dublin, about 
dawn on Good Friday, April 23d, a.d. 10 14 ; and a most 
sanguinary one it proved to be. Nearly all the leaders 
on both sides were slain. At length, at eventide, the 
Danes were routed, and thirteen thousand of their num- 
ber were left upon the field. The victors lost seven thou- 
sand, but they would have good reason to rejoice at the 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 113 

lesLilt, were it not for the death of the aged Brian, who 
was slain by a fugitive Dane while kneeling^ at prayer in 
his tent. 

Q. What was the effect of the battle ? 

A. It crushed the power of the Danes, destroyed their 
hope of conquest, and gave prestige to the arms of Ireland 
throughout Europe. 

Q. Who succeeded Brian ? 

A. After the death of Brian at Clontarf, Malachy II. 
reascended the throne, and during eight years rivalled his 
early fame by his success in rooting out the last remnants 
of the Danes. One month before his decease he gave them 
a severe blow at Athboy, a.d. 1022. 

Q. What noted men flourished at this time ? 

A. Eocha, rh3aning chronicler, a,d. 984 ; St. Donncad, 
Abbot of Clonmacnoise, a.d. 988 ; St Fingen, Abbot at 
Metz, on the continent, a.d. 991 ; St. Hugh, Lector of 
Armagh, a.d. 1004; St. Colman, Patron of Austria, mar- 
tyr, a.d. 10 1 2 ; and Mac Laig, chief poet and physician 
of Brian Boru, a.d. 1015. 




CHAPTER VI. 

From Do7tncad III., A.D. 1022, to Murthogh IL, A.D, 

1086. 

OW did the successful ambition of Brian Boru 
affect Ireland? 

A. His success in seizing the throne broke 
the spell investing ancient usages, and made 
the monarchy the prize of the most successful in arms. 
After him every ambitious prince had a hope that one 
day, if fortune favored, he too might grace the chair of 
state. 

Q. What was the consequence? 

A. The land was pestered with rival candidates for 
national supremacy, and the consequence was civil war. 
As no one of these claimants held undisputed sway, all of 
them might justly be excluded from the list of monarchs. 

Q. How are such princes designated by the annalists ? 

A. The annalists style them very properly Ard-Righs 
" with opposition." 

Q. Who was the first of these ?* 

A. Donncad III., son of Brian Bom, a.d. 1022-1063. 

Q. What events took place at this time ? 

A. In his reign Christ Church was erected in Dublin, 
by Sitrick, chief of the Danes, a.d. 1038, and an impor- 
tant synod was held, to take measures for the protection of 
life and property, 

Q. What was the condition of religion ? 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 115 

A. Many abuses existed, as was natural, after two hun- 
dred years of warfare against the Danes. Laymen held 
benefices, simony prevailed, and the morals of both 
clergy and people were much relaxed. In fact religion 
was almost in as bad a state as it was on the continent. 

Q. Did this state of things continue ? 

A. No ; a decided improvement took place immedi- 
ately after the close of the war. 

Q. How is this revival proved ? 

A. It is shown by the many fine religious edifices which 
were now erected. Thus, the great church at Killala was 
built in 1060; St. Patrick's, Dublin, in 1070; Holy Cross 
Abbey, in 1080 ; and the Cathedrals of Cork, Limerick, 
and Waterford about the same time. 

Q. What species of punishment had now come in use ? 

A. Criminals, and sometimes even aspiring princes, 
were punished by the loss of sight, and in this way hinder- 
ed from doing much harm. 

Q. What was the end of Donncad III. ? 

A. After a supremacy of forty years he was defeated 
in battle, a.d. 1063. He then went to Rome, where he 
died in the following year. 

Q. Who was the next Ardrigh with opposition ? 

A. Dermid III., who reigned in Leinster, a.d. 1063- 
1072, 

Q. What is said of this prince ? 

A. Little is recorded of him, except that he was a wise 
and valiant ruler, and that he died in battle while defendinir 
his title against the men of Meath, under Connor, son of 
Mai achy II. 

Q. What fate did England now experience ? 

A. England was invaded by the Normans, and was en- 
tirely subdued by them in a single battle fought at Has- 



Ii6 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

tings under William, surnamed the Conqueror, a.d. 1066.. 
This was the fourth time that Britain fell an easy prey 
to foreign invaders. 
. Q. Who succeeded Dermid III. ? 

A. Dermid was succeeded in his disputed sovereignty 
by Thurlogh I., King of Munster, who ruled at Cashel, 
A.D. 1072-1086. 

Q. What were the events of his reign ? 

A. The descendants of the Danes did homage to the 
new monarch, in 1073, ^^^^ henceforth, followed the lead 
of the native princes. In the year 1075, Thurlogh re- 
ceived a check at Ardee, from Domnall, Prince of Aileach 
in Ulster ; but, four years later, he was more successful 
against Roderick, King of Connaught. He died a.d. 
1086, one year after Pope St. Gregory VII., who had ad- 
dressed him in a letter as "the Illustrious King of Ireland." 

Q. Name some of the writers of this time. 

A. Cuan, chief poet, a.d, 1024, Corcran, anchorite and 
civil administrator, 1040 ; Flann of Monasterboice, chron- 
icler, 1056, and Gilla Keevin, metrical annalist. 

Q. What noted men flourished on the continent ? 

A. Helias, who introduced the Gregorian chant into 
France, a.d. 1022, and died Abbot of St. Martins, at 
Cologne, in 1042 ; St. John, Bishop of Mecklenburg, and 
Apostle of Sclavonia, 1065 ; and Marianus Scotus, annal- 
ist and commentator on the sacred Scriptures, 1018-1086. 






CHAPTER VII. 

J^rom Mut'thogh IL, A.D. 1086, to Thurlogh II., A.D, 

1136. 

OW long did Murthogh II. reign ? 

A. He reigned during thirty-three years, 
from A.D. 1086 to 1 1 19. 

Q. Where did he hold his court ? 

A. At Cashel, in Munster. 

Q. Who braved his authority ? 

A. Domnall, Prince of Aileach, in Ulster, a.d. 1082 
to 1121. 

Q. What is said of these two rulers ? 

A. Both were remarkable for talent and ambition, and 
peace, was preserved between them only by the most 
strenuous efforts on the part of the clergy. 

Q. What act of munificence is recorded of Murthogh 
11. ? 

A. In the year I loi he presented to the Church the 
entire city of Cashel, with all its revenues. 

Q. Was this gift well deserved ? 

A. Yes ; for although there were yet some abuses un- 
corrected, still, as a class, the clergy were exemplary and 
faithful to God and their country. 

Q. What was the condition of the religious orders ? 

A. Owing to a variety of causes, but especially to the 
extreme severity of their rule, the Columban, or native 
monks, had dwindled down in numbers, and we are soon 



Il8 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

to see them disappear forever — absorbed in the new and 
less severe orders introduced from the continent. 

Q. When did the Danes make their last descent upon 
Ireland ? 

A. About this time Magnus, King of Norway, subdued 
the Orkneys, the Hebrides, the Isle of Man, and parts of 
Scotland and Wales. He then landed in Ireland, which 
he proceeded to ravage ; but he was speedily attacked 
and slain with many of his followers, a.d. 1103. This is 
the last scene in the Danish wars — now waged for three 
hundred years — and the result must be ever glorious for 
Ireland, since, of all Europe, she alone battled success- 
fully against the hordes of the North, 

Q. Did the Danes disappear altogether from Ireland 
after their defeat ? 

A. No ; many of their descendants settled in the coun- 
try and quietly submitted to the native princes. 

Q. What claim did they make ? 

A. While acknowledging the authority of the native 
princes, their bishops claimed to be under the jurisdiction 
of the See of Canterbury, in England. And this claim 
being allowed by the Irish, may have afterwards served to 
suggest the reduction of Ireland to the authority of Eng- 
land. 

Q. What Welsh prince held friendly relations with his 
Irish neighbors at this time ? 

A. Griffith ap Conan, who introduced the music and 
instruments of Ireland into North Wales about the year 
1 100. 

Q. What synods were now held by the Irish clergy ? 

A. At Usny, a.d. iiii, and at Rath-Brazil, in 11 18, 
the clergy held synods for the correction of morals and 
discipline. The former assembly was attended by fifty 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 119 

bishops and three hundred priests ; the latter, by twenty- 
seven bishops and numerous other ecclesiastics. 

Q. How did Murthogh and his rival end their lives ? 

A. Each of them died in a religious house while on re- 
treat in actual preparation for their last hour. 

Q. What troubles then arose ? 

A. Every one of the five provincial kings claimed the 
throne, and during fifteen years, a war of succession was 
carried on between them. 

Q. Give some of the events of this epock 

A. In the year 1121, Thurlogh, King of Connaught, 
celebrated the national games at Tailten, in assertion of 
his claim to sovereignty, • Some years later he obtained a 
decided advantage over Connor O'Brien, of Munster, who 
was his most formidable rival. This latter prince is noted 
for having made large gifts to the abbey of St. Peter, at 
Ratisbon, and to the Emperor Lothaire in aid of the Second 
Crusade. 

Q. What other synod was convened at this epoch ? 

A. That of Cashel, held at Cormac's chapel in the year 
^^134, when Cormac McCarthy was king of Desmond, 
A.D. 1118-1138. 

Q. Mention some of the eminent men of this era. 

A. Tigernach, Abbot of Clonmacnoise, annahst, 1028- 
1088 ; Gilbert, Bishop of Limerick, author of a treatise 
on the ritual, and of another on the state of the Church, 
1090; and St. Celsus, Archbishop of Armagh, a.d. 1130. 




CHAPTER VIIL 

From Thtirlogh JL, A.D. 1136, to Roderick JL, A.D. 

1166. 

OW long did Thiirlogh II. reign ? 

A; After a struggle of fifteen years, Thiir- 
logh of Connaiight at length gained the 
throne, and reigned during twenty years, 
from A.D. 1 136 to 1 156. 

Q. What was the condition of the country in his time ? 

A. All the land was under the authority of native 
princes, and though the descendants of the Danes stili 
dwelt by themselves in the seaport towns, they were thor- 
oughly identified with the country, and they contributed 
to its prosperity by the commerce which they carried on. 

Q. What distinguished ecclesiastic did much good by 
his labors ? 

A. St. Malachy, Archbishop of Armagh, a.d. 1148. 

Q. What else is said of him ? 

A. He was the bosom friend of the great St. Bernard, 
and introduced the Cistercian rule into Ireland, a.d. 1139. 

Q. For what is Thurlogh II. noted ? 

A. He was the first monarch of Ireland who maintained 
a regular navy. 

Q. What powerful rival did he subdue ? 

A. In the year 1151 he encountered Thurlogh of Mun- 
ster, successor of Connor O'Brien, and defeated him at 
Moanmore with the loss of seven thousand men. 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 12 1 

Q. Mention other events of this reign. 

A. In 1 153 Devirgail, wife of O'Ruark, Prince of 
Breffni, eloped with Dennid MacMurrogh, King of Lein- 
ster, an act which was to entail much misery on Ireland. 
In the following year the monarch won a naval victory 
over Murthogh of Aileach. About this time also, numer- 
ous synods were held by the clergy. 

Q. Which was the most important of these ? 

A. That held at Kells, a.d. 1152. This assembly, com- 
posed of twenty-seven bishops and several abbots, was 
presided over by John Cardinal Paparo, Legate of the 
Holy See. In it the bishops of Dublin and Tuam were 
raised to the dignity of M.etropoHtans, and received the 
pallium, as did likewise the archbishops of Armagh and 
Cashel. 

Q. What was the last and most important occurrence 
in the reign of Thurlogh ? 

A. In 1 154 Henry II. succeeded to the English 
throne, and in the same year, Nicholas Breakspere, an 
Englishman, was elected Pope, under the title of Adrian 
IV. Seeing his opportunity, Henry is said to have asked 
and obtained permission from the new pontiff to invade 
and conquer Ireland. A bull, giving the requisite au- 
thority, is indeed attributed to Adrian, but historians are 
about equally divided as to its authenticity. If the pope 
did issue the document, he had no right whatever to do 
so, as Ireland never belonged to Rome, and such an 
action on his part would be wholly unjust. Adrian IV., 
however, was a man of piety, and, as long as we are 
without positive proof of his guilt, it is wrong to blacken 
his character by attributing to him the lies and the base 
motives contained in the bull in question. After stating 
falsely " that the kingdom of Ireland, and every island upon" 



122 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

which Christ the Sim of Justice shone, belong of right to 
St. Peter and the Holy Roman Church," the pretended 
bull adds, that in consideration of " an annual tribute to St. 
Peter of one penny from each house in Ireland," Henry 
might enter that country, and, for his own glory and the 
honor of God, eradicate vice, implant virtue, promote 
religion, and extend the Church. 

Q. What was the character of the reformer ? 

A. He was like most of the English kings, without 
piety, honor, or common honesty ; but he excelled them 
all in vice by his superstition, his unnatural lust, and his 
fierce ungovernable rage when in a passion. This is the 
man that was to reform Ireland — the murderer of St. 
Thomas a Becket. 

Q. Did Ireland need reforming ? 

A. By no means ; Gerald Barry, a contemporary Nor- 
man historian bears this testimony : " The clergy of that 
country are highly to be praised for their religion ; and 
among the other virtues with which they are endowed, 
charity forms a peculiar feature. Those who are intrust- 
ed with the divine service do not leave the church, but 
apply themselves wholly to the reciting of psalms and 
prayers and to reading. They are extremely temperate in 
food, and never eat till towards evening, when their office 
is ended." 

With such masters and models the great body of the 
faithful must have been all that could be desired, according 
to the proverb : As the priests are, so will the people be. 

Q. Who succeeded Thurlogh II. on the throne? 

A. At the death of Thurlogh, Murlhogh of Aileach 
obtained the sceptre, but his arbitrary acts aroused oppo- 
sition from his subjects, and he was attacked and slain 
after a reign of ten years, a.d. ii66. 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 123 

Q. What was the general character of the monarchs 
who held sway during the eventful period marked by the 
Danish wars ? 

A. During this entire period there were only eighteen 
monarchs, and every one of them, without exception, 
showed himself a remarkably able and valiant ruler. What 
is surprising in such troublous times is the fact that each 
of the eighteen ruled on an average during twenty years. 
This is truly gratifying, especially when we bear in mind 
that within the same space of time, there were eighteen 
kings in peaceful France, twenty-three in Germany, 
twenty-five in England, and more than seventy popes in 
Italy. 



|]avt tl)irir. 
MODERN HISTORY. 



From the Anglo-Norman Invasion, a.d. T169, to 
THE Present Time, a.d. 1878. 




THE MODERN PERIODS. 

HAT is the duration of Modern Irish History ? 
A. About seven hundred years. 
Q. How is it divided ? 
A. It is divided into two periods, the first 
embracing three hundred and sixty-eight years, from the 
Norman Invasion, a.d. 1169, to the introduction of the 
Protestant Reformation, a.d. 1537 ; the second from the 
Reformation to the present time- — a space of about three 
hundred and fifty years. 

Q. AVhat is the character of these periods ? 
A. The first is distinguished for the sanguinary warfare 
waged by CathoUcs against Irish nationality ; the second 
has equal celebrity from the religious phase which tlie 
contest assumed. The one is the era of the Penal Code ; 
the other, of the exterminating sword ; of the two, per- 
haps the latter is the more creditable to religion, because 
then, when the invaders became heretics, the sympathies 
of the papal court were on the side of right and justice. 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 125 

Q. Who were the first invaders of Ireland after the 
Danes were driven out ? 

A. The first invaders came from Wales, but these were 
soon after followed by a still greater numbe'r from England. 

Q. By what name are they known ? 

A. They are styled Anglo-Normans. 

Q. Why are they termed Anglo-Normans ? 

A. They are called Normans because they were de-^ 
scendants of the Northmen who settled in France under 
RoUo, a Danish sea-king, a.d. 912. After their conquest 
of England under William, surnamed the Conqueror, a.d. 
1066, W word Anglo was prefixed to their name, to de- 
note their residence in England. 

Q. How long did they rule over that country before 
invading Ireland ? 

A. During one hundred and three years. 

Q. What fact is worthy of note concerning them ? 

A. We must remember that the Normans were not 
Englishmen, but the late conquerors of England. They 
heartily despised that people— whom they had reduced to 
serfdom by a single battle ; and the greatest term of 
reproach among them was to be called an Englishman. 
Hence it is not surprising that they did not unite and 
form one people with the poor despised Saxons, till more 
than two hundred years had passed away. 

Q. What was the character of the Anglo-Normans ? 

A. They were very brave and warlike, but equally 
cruel and grasping. However, if they coveted gain and 
glory, they fought for them ; and in this they differed from 
their EngUsh successors, who compassed their ends by 
penal laws and foreign mercenaries. 

Q. How were they prepared for the invasion of Ire- 
land ? 



126 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

A. They were well prepared for that undertaking. 
Their natural genius was for war, and in their campaigns 
in France, Italy, England, and Palestine, they had learned 
all the secrets of the art, as then practised. 

Q. What weapons did they use ? 

A. Their ordinary weapons were the sword, the lance, 
the knife, and the destructive long-bow. As means of 
defense, they carried shields, erected castles, and envel- 
oped themselves in coats of mail. For purposes of attack 
they used scaling ladders, battering rams, movable towers, 
and other devices. 

Q. Were the Irish equally prepared ? 

A. No ; religion had greatly modified their ancient 
warlike spirit. Besides, they were divided among them- 
selves, and they had no standing army, and no experience 
in war save that acquired at home. 

Q. What kinds of arms did they have ? 

A. They used the sword, the lance, the javelin, and the 
battle-axe, which last was their principal weapon. They 
despised armor, and in assaults employed only the scaling 
ladder. 

Q. What was the policy of the Anglo-Normans ? 

A. Their motto was " Divide and conquer," and hence 
their policy was to foment strife among the natives, to pa- 
cify one prince while they subdued another. 

Q. Was the contest softened in the first period by iden- 
tity of religion on the part of the combatants ? 

A. No ; but this circumstance seems rather to have im- 
bittered the struggle. The Irish were indignant at the 
policy of the popes, while on the other hand the invaders 
felt authorized to commit all sorts of excesses in the hal- 
lowed name of religion. 



FIRST PERIOD. 

IRELAND AND THE ENGLISH CATHOLIC 

KINGS. 

From the Anglo-Norman Invasion, a.d. 1169, to 
THE Introduction of Protestantism, a.d. 1537. 



CHAPTER L 




Roderick IL, A.D. 1166 to 1186. 

HAT gave occasion to the Anglo-Norman in- 
vasion ? 

A. As has been stated, Dermid, King of 
Leinster, seduced the wife of the Prince of 
Meath, and then, to be revenged for the punishment which 
his crime drew upon him, he fled across the sea, and 
sought the assistance of Henry 11.^ who ruled England 
from a.d. 1154 to 11 89. 

Q. What resulted from his flight ? 

A. The renegade met a favorable reception and was 
authorized to raise troops to reestablish his authority in 
Leinster, on condition of recognizing the authority of Henry. 
By large promises, Dermid induced some impoverished 
Welsh noblemen to join his fortunes, and then^ after or- 
ganizing an expedition, he returned to Ireland. 
Q. When did the first invaders arrive ? 



128 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

A. On the nth of May, 1169, Robert Fitzstephen 
landed near Wexford, with thirty knights, sixty men in 
armor, and three hundred men at arms. Next day he 
was joined by ten knights and sixty arcliers mider Mau- 
rice de Pendergast. 

Q. What was done by the invader ? 

A. Being joined by five hundred natives under Don- 
ald, son of Dermid, the combined force appeared be- 
fore Wexford, which surrendered to them. Ossory was 
next reduced, and then the progress of the invaders be- 
gan to alarm the Ardrigh. 

Q. What agreement was now drawn up ? 

A. A treaty was signed at Ferns by which Roderick 
acknowledged the sovereignty of Dermid over Leinster; 
and Dermid, on his part, promised to dismiss his Anglo- 
Norman allies. 

Q. Did this treaty bring peace ? 

A. No ; for in the same year, in violation of his oath, 
the traitor welcomed to his standard Maurice Fitzgerald 
with ten knights, thirty esquires, and one hundred foot- 
men ; and, afterwards, another force of ten knights and 
seventy archers, under Raymond le Gros. 

Q. What was next done by them ? 

A. Having intrenched themselves near Waterford, 
they repulsed an undisciplined multitude of its inhabi- 
tants, and slew five hundred of them. 

Q. How did the victors mar their triumph ? 

A. " In order to strike terror into the natives" they 
broke the legs of seventy captive citizens of Waterford, 
and hurled their mutilated victims to death down the 
rocks into the sea. 

Q. Whit famous leader now arrived to take command 
of the invaders? 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 1 29 

A. On the 23d of August, 11 70, Richard de Clare, 
Earl of Pembroke, surnamed Strongbow, landed at Dun- 
donolf with two hundred knights and one thousand two 
hundred infantry, and assumed the leadership of the in- 
vaders. 

Q. How did he begin his career ? 

A. Having taken Waterford by assault and put to 
death many of its inhabitants, he immediately espoused 
Eva, daughter of the recreant Leinster king, in accordance 
with a previous agreement. 

Q. What ambition did the traitor Dermid cherish ? 

A. He aspired to the sovereignty of the island. 
Hence, with about ten thousand native troops and nearly 
all his foreign allies, numbering one thousand eight hun- 
dred, he proceeded to lay siege to Dublin. The citizens 
repelled two assaults, but though the Ard-Righ was close 
at hand with an army, they were at last obliged to surren- 
der; but, while the conditions were being drawn up, the 
Anglo-Normans suddenly broke into the city and slew 
many of the inhabitants, September 21, a.d. 1170. 

Q. How did the clergy look upon the invasion ? 

A. These pious men regarded it as a visitation from 
heaven on account of the occasional traffic carried on in 
slaves, and, therefore, in a synod held at Armagh, in this 
year, they declared that all the English slaves in the land 
were free to return to their homes. 

Q. Did Dermid reap the fruits of his treason ? 

A. No ; in less than a year from his success at Dublin 
he died miserably, May 4th, 11 71. Most of his followers 
then took sides with their countrymen against their late 
allies. 

Q. What attacks were made on the invaders ? 

A. Three attempts were made to expel them from 
6* 



130 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

Dublin in the course of the year, but the invaders were 
successful in every case. 

Q. What was the next event of importance ? 

A. The next event was the visit of Henry 11. Sailing 
from Milford Haven with a fleet of four hundred vessels 
and an army of five hundred knights and four thousand 
men-at-arms, he landed at Crook, near Waterford, Octo- 
ber i8th, A.D. 1 1 71. In his train were Hugh de Lacy, 
Theobald Walters, the first of the Butlers, William Fitzal- 
delm, ancestor of the Burkes, and many others of equal 
fame. 

Q. How long did Henry remain in Ireland ? 

A. The period of his sojourn was seven months, till 
April 17th, 1 1 72. 

Q. Give a summary of his transactions during this 
time. 

A. Some chiefs did homage % Cork, Wexford, Water- 
ford, and I^imerick surrendered ; a council was held at 
Cashel to advance his interests ; Dublin was generously 
granted by him to the surplus population of Bristol ; cas- 
tles were erected to protect the country already in his 
power ; and, finally, all Ireland was apportioned by the 
t)^ant among ten of the English nation, " and though the 
invaders had not gained possession of one-third of the 
kingdom, yet, in title, they were owners and lords of 
all, so that nothing -was left to the natives. — Davies" His- 
torical Relatio7is. 

Q. What was done to win over some of the native 
princes? 

A. Through motives of policy, protection was extended 
to five Irish families, who were styled in law, de quinque 
sanguinibKs, persons "of the five bloods." These were 
the MacMurroghs, of Leinster; the O'Neill, of Ulster; 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY, 131 

the O'Briens, of Thomond ; the O'Connors, of Con- 
naught; and the O'Malachys, of Meath. The mere Irish, 
as the mass of the people were termed, could expect no 
favors from a despot who sought only their possessions. 

Q. What defeat did the invaders suffer ? 

A. They entered Munster in 11 74, but they were met 
at Thurles, and seven hundred of them slain by Donald 
O'Brien, of Thomond. This loss, however, was partly 
remedied by the arrival of four hundred and thirty new 
adventurers under Raymond le Gros. 

Q. What use was now made of the Bull of Adrian 
IV.? 

A. At a synod held at Waterford, a.d. 1175, the Bull 
of Pope Adrian was made public for the first time. The 
influence of this document must have been great, as is 
seen from the fact that before the close of the year, Rode- 
rick sent his chancellor, St. Lawrence, at the head of an 
embassy to Henry II. The result was the Treaty of 
Windsor, in which the Ardrigh yields precedence to the 
king, while retaining both the emblems and the substance 
of his former power. 

Q. Which of the mvaders was among the first to die? 

A. Strongbow, who was carried off by an ulcer in the 
foot, A.D. 1 1 76, after founding a priory for the Knights 
Templars at Kilmainham, near Dublin. 

Q. What other leaders in the struggle were carried off 
by death ? 

A. On the side of the Irish, Tiernan O'Ruark died in 
1 1 73, Donald Kavenagh, son of MacMurrogh, in 1175 ; 
whilst the invaders lost Maurice Fitzgerald, the ancestor 
of the Earls of Desmond and Kildare, in 11 77, Hervy de 
Montmorency in 11 79, and Milo de Cogan and Robert 
Fitzstephen in 1182. 



132 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

Q. Mention the events of the next few years. 

A. Dissensions sprung up among the Irish leaders ; 
John de Courcy led a band of adventurers into Ulster, 
where they committed great depredations ; and in a synod 
at Dublin, a.d. 1177, the officious Cardinal Vivian ex- 
horted the natives to obey Henry II., who had lately in- 
sulted him. 

Q. What other occurrences took place ? 

A. In 1 184 Pope Lucius III. released Dublin, already 
an Anglo-Norman see, from the authority of Armagh, which 
was still Irish. In the following year, John, the son of 
Henry II., arrived at Waterford with the title of Lord of 
Ireland. During eight months this prince indulged his 
royal nature by levying taxes, insulting the native princes, 
and disregarding the original invaders, of whom he was 
jealous. 

Q. What was the fate of Roderick II. ? 

A. In the year 1186 he was deposed by his sons, and 
forced to retire to the monastery of Cong* where he died 
November 9th, 11 98. 

Q. What saints flourished at this era ? 

A. St. Gelasius, Archbishop of Armagh, a.d. 1173; 
Blessed Cornelius of the same See, 11 76; St. Lawrence, 
Archbishop of Dubhn, 1180. 




CHAPTER II. 

Domestic War, A.D. 1186 to 1230. 

HO ruled Ireland after Roderick II. ? 

A. After Roderick, Ireland had no Ard- 
Righ. The provincial kings carried on the 
struggle against the Anglo-Normans, but, as 
they acted separately and were often at variance, their 
efforts were unsuccessful, and they themselves were 
finally swept away one by one. 

Q. What is to be remarked concerning this epoch ? 

A. The history of this age is but the record of the 
ambition and sway of a few great famiHes who fought for 
power and plunder, rather than for the welfare of the 
nation. 

Q. What change took place among the invaders ? 

A. Henry II. died miserably, a.d. 1189, and was suc- 
ceeded by Richard I., surnamed Coeur de Lion. Dissen- 
sions sprang up among the invaders, and this would have 
been their destruction, were it not for the wars raging 
among the princes of Connaught. 

Q. What was the character of these wars ? 

A. They were a series of petty fratricidal contests, 
"for which," says McGee, "history has no memory and no 
heart." At length, by his great ability, after great waste 
of life and property, Cathal Crovderg, son of a younger 
brother of Roderick, assumed the sovereignty of Con- 
naught, A.D. 1200. 



134 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

Q. What losses did the invaders suffer ? 

A. In 1 20 1, seven hundred of them were slain in Con- 
naught, and later on three hundred more near Dublin. 

Q. Who were the most noted among the native princes ? 

A. Donald O'Brien, the last king of Limerick, 1194, 
Connor Moinmoy of Connaught, 1189, and Cathal Crov- 
derg, also of Connaught, a.d. 1224. 

Q. Mention some of the rival leaders? 

A. Hugh de Lacy, Lord of Meath, 1186, and John de 
Courcy, " Conqueror of UHdia," or Down, 1205. 

Q. What great armament now arrived in Ii eland? 

A. In 1199, John succeeded his brother Richard on 
the throne of England. In Ireland his authority was 
hardly recognized. Therefore, in the year 12 10 he col- 
lected seven hundred ships, and crossed the channel with 
a large army. His visit lasted • about two months, from 
the 20th of June until the 25th of August. 

Q. What was the result of this expedition ? 

A. It accomplished little or nothing. The king did not 
march against his enemies, but he mapped out twelve 
counties, namely : Dublin, Meath, Louth, Kildare, Car- 
low, Wexford, and Kilkenny, in the province of Leinster; 
and Waterford, Cork, Kerry, Limerick, and Tipperary, in 
that of Munster. Then he rested from his labors, and in 
due time returned to England. 

Q. Were these counties entirely subject to the Anglo- 
Normans ? 

A. No ; only the portion of them that were garrisoned. 
The districts still held by the Irish constituted at least two- 
thirds of the whole island. 

Q. Who held the highest authority among the colon- 
ists ? 

A. It was exercised by lords-justices, or lords-deputies, 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 1 35 

lords-lieutenants, etc., etc., who represented the king of 
England, and ruled in his name. 

Q. What was the character of these representatives? 
A. With few exceptions, they were unprincipled royal 
favorites, worthy of their mission, which was to plunder 
and oppress the natives. Their usual residence was Dub- 
lin Castle, erected a.d. 1205. 

Q. When were English laws introduced 1 

A. In the first year of Henry III., who succeeded 
John, A.D. i2t6, the Magna Charfa, or Great Charter of 
Liberties, was introduced among the Anglo-Norman set- 
tlers. 

Q. What was this charter ? 

A. It was an act extorted from'King John by the barons 
of England at Runnymede, June 15th, 1215. It is called 
'^ the keystone of liberty," because it is said to protect 
every freeman from the loss of life, liberty, or projierty, 
except by the judgment of his peers, or the law of the 
land. It also declared that right or justice should not be 
sold, denied, or delayed to any man. In Ireland, how- 
ever, it was a dead letter as far as the natives were con- 
cerned ; for these were considered without the pale of the 
law. 

Q. What was the condition of religion at this time ? 

A. Religion seems to have made some progress outward- 
ly, in the foundation of religious houses, but its spirit and 
principles seem to have been forgotten amid the strife that 
filled the land. 

Q. What religious orders were introduced into the 
country? 

A. In the year 1224 the Dominicans established their 
first foundation "at Dublin, under the patronage of the 
Anglo Normans. The Franciscans, on the other hard, 



136 CATECHISM ^OF IRISH HISTORY. 

were in favor with the natives, and founded their first 
home at Cork, through the liberality of Florence Mc- 
Carthy, A.D. 1229. 

Q. What change took place in the religious houses, 
founded by the Irish, in Europe ? 

A. Owing partly to jealousy, and partly to a want of 
subjects, the Irish monasteries in England and France 
passed gradually into the hands of natives of those coun- 
tries. Those in Germany fell under the control of the 
Scotch, who now flocked to that country and claimed to 
be the original Scoti referred to in the monastic grants. 

Q. Did any Irish monks still remain on the continent? 

A. Yes ; a few of them still survived, among whom 
was St. Marron, who suffered martyrdom in Flanders, 
A.D. 1202. 




CHAPTER III. 

Feilim O Connor and his Conte?nporaries, A.D. 1230 to 

1274. 

HAT was the character of this era ? 

A. It was one of ceaseless war. The' 
Anglo-Normans were at open strife among 
themselves, and, while some of the native 
princ'es imitated their example, others seized the opportu- 
nity to vindicate their rights, to battle against the common 
enemy. 

Q. Is this age otherwise remarkable ? 

A. Yes ; it is also noted for the immense number of 
religious houses founded everywhere throughout the 
country. On this subject it is curious to contrast the 
zeal of the invaders in destroying native monasteries, and 
the pious munificence with which they used the spoils to 
found others for the good monks of their own race. 

Q. Who was Feilim O'Connor? 

A. Feilim was the son of Cathal Crovderg, and reigned 
as king of Connaught, a.d. 1230 to 1265. 

Q. How did he begin his career ? 

A. In the early part of his reign he was made prisoner 
by his enemies, but he soon regained his liberty, and at 
once took the field against them. In 1233 he defeated 
an aspirant to his throne, and demolished several Anglo- 
Norman castles. 



138 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

Q. What experience did he reap from his enemies ? 

A. In 1 135 he learned by experience that the most 
dauntless valor was not a niratch for the wiles of an insa- 
tiable enemy. Next year he received the same lesson, 
and barely saved himself by flight, from the lord-justice 
and Richard de Burgh. 

Q. Did Feilim recover his patrimony ? 

A. Yes; he reentered his kingdom and defeated the 
lord-justice in the following year ; but, the victory was 
fruidess, for, in 1238, several Anglo-Norman barons 
entered Connaught, sword in hand, and took possession 
of a large portion of his dominions. Then to secure 
their plunder they erected castles at various points. 

Q. How did Feilim get rid of the intruders ? 

A. Knowing that it would be difficult to expel them by 
force, he had recourse to policy, and went to England to 
lay his case before Henry IH. Strange to say, his mis-, 
sion was successful, and his enemies were forced to quit 
his territory and leave him in peace. 

Q. How did Feilim requite this kindness of the king ? 

A. He assisted Henry in a war against Wales, and. 
thus he was enabled to take parital vengeance on that 
country for the part it had taken in the invasion of Ire- 
land, A.D. 1245. 

Q. What princes were contem])orary with P^eilim ? 

A. Brian O'Neill, Lord of Tyrone, and Godfrey O'Don- 
nell, Lord of Tyrconnell. 

Q. What is said of them ? 

A. In 1252 O'Neill submitted to Maurice Fitzgerald, 
the lord justice; but Godfrey, on the contrary, attacked 
and defeated that nobleman with great loss at Credran. 
Both leaders were mortally wounded in the battle, and 
died within a few months. 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 139 

Q. What incident shows the usual policy of the native 
princes ? 

A. Hearing that O'Donnell was wounded unto death, 
O'Neill sent to him for hostages, as a token of submission ; 
but the answer of the dying chieftain was an order for a 
general muster of his forces. 

Q, What was the result ? 

A. O'Donnell caused himself to be placed in a litter 
and carried at the head of his army. In this condition he 
was borne to battle, and thus, while encouraging his sol- 
diers, he expired in the very hour of victory, on the 
banks of Lough Swilly, A.D. 1258. 

Q. How did O'Neill atone for his conduct ? 

A. Having been elected Monarch of Ireland by native 
princes assembled at Beleek, a.d. 1259, he died like a 
true king while defending his title in battle against the 
lord-justice Stephen de Longespay, a.d. 1260. 

Q. Wliat losses did the Anglo-Normans suffer in Mun- 
ster? 

A. In less than a year after the death of O'Neill, the 
Geraldines, or retainers of the Fitzgeralds, were defeated 
at Kilbarran in Thomond by Connor O'Brien, and again 
at Callan-Glen with great loss by Florence McCarthy, 
Prince of Carbery. 

Q. What defeat did they suffer in Meath ? 

A. In Meath the invaders received a severe check 
from Art, the lord of that province, a.d. 1264. This 
prince likewise repulsed Walter de Burgh at Shannon 
harbor in 1268, and still later, he acquired fame as the 
destroyer of not less than twenty-seven Anglo-Norman 
castles. 

Q. What other events may be noted ? 

A. In 1272 Henry III. of England was succeeded by 



I40 . CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

Edward I., .and in the following year the colonists in Ire- 
land petitioned that king for English law. About this 
time, according to Galleli, the Italians first began to use 
the Irish harp, which had been introduced among them 
in 1073. 

Q. Mention some of the literary men of this time. 

A. Peter Hibernicus, professor in the University of 
Naples, and master of St. Thomas of Aquin, 1240 ; 
John, surnamed De Sacro Boscho, mathematician in the 
schools of Paris, 1256 ; and Thomas Palmerian of Naas, 
professor in the University of Paris, and author of several 
ascetic works. 



CHAPTER IV, 




The Era of Richard de Burgh,.'\the Red Earl^' A.D, 

1274/^ 1315. 

HAT was the state of Ireland at the beginning 
of this epoch ? 

A. One hundred years had now elapsed 
since the invasion of the Anglo-Normans, and 
Ireland was still unconquered. Only about one-third of 
the country was in the hands of the invaders, whereas, all 
the rest remained subject to the native princes and laws. 
Q. Did any of the Irish submit to EngHsh laws ? 
A. In the year 1280 some of the natives near the 
Anglo-Norman settlements petitioned for EngHsh law ; 
and they even offered eight thousand marks for the favor, 
because, being outside the law, they were plundered at 
will by every English adventurer. Their petition was not, 
granted. 

Q. Who was the most potent lord in Ireland at this 

time ? 

A. Richard de Burgh, "the Red Earl" of Ulster. 

Q. What is said of his power ? 

A. In Ulster and Connaught he was all but supreme. 
His home at Trim was a veritable court enlivened by 
sumptuous entertainments. He imposed taxes, levied 
men, conferred knighthood, and exercised nearly all the 
prerogatives of royalty. He was also commander-in- 



142 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

chief of the army, and the writs of the English king were 
addressed to him and not to the lord-justice. 

Q. Give the result of the first twenty years of his 
career ? 

A. By the year 1291 he had humbled the house of 
O'Connor in Connaught, and crushed O'Neill and O'Don- 
nell in Ulster; but in 1294 he was made prisoner by the 
Fitzgeralds, whose possessions in Meath he had invaded. 
In the following year, however, he was set at liberty by 
order of an Anglo-Norman parliament, and he became 
more powerful than ever. 

Q. For what is this parliament noted ? 

A. It is noted as the first assembly of the kind held in 
Ireland by the Anglo-Normans. The place of meeting 
was Kilkenny, and, among the regulations, provision was 
made for a body of militia to defend the colony. 

Q. What events occupied the Red Earl for the next 
few years ? 

A. In 1296 he joined Edward I. of England in a suc- 
cessful expedition against Scotland ; and, three years 
later, he accompanied the same king, when, at the head 
of eight thousand horse and eighty thousand infantry, 
chiefly Irish and Welsh, he defeated William Wallace at 
Falkirk. Four years after this event, de Burgh was again 
an ally of King Edward, against the same enemy. 

Q. Was Ireland neglected by the Anglo-Normans dur- 
ing the Scotch wars ? 

A. It appears not. On Trinity Sunday, 1305, about 
thirty native chiefs were massacred at a banquet to which 
they had been invited in Kildare by Prince Bermingham, 
an Anglo-Norman lord. Hence, very naturally, the 
sympathies of the Irish were with the Scotch in their 
struggle against Edward I., and as many as seven hun- 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY, 143 

dred of them went in a body to the assistance of Robert 
Bruce, and lost their lives in his cause, a.d. 1306. 

Q. What fate befell the Knights Templars ? 

A. The Knights Templars was a religious miHtary order 
instituted at Jerusalem in 11 18, to defend the Holy 
Places. It was introduced into Ireland by Strongbow, 
and, from the first, was ever ready to assist in the work 
of murder and spoliation. In 1308, the second year of 
Edward •! I., it was discovered that the order had become 
grossly corrupt throughout Europe, and it was publicly 
charged with impiety, intemperance, profligacy, and 
apostasy. Pope Clement V. abolished it in 13 12, and 
its priory castle of Kilmainham and other beneiices 
passed to the order of St. John of Jerusalem. 

Q. Were the Templars alone in their wickedness ? 
■ A. They were not. The Norman leaders and law- 
makers were equally guilty, as appears from the records 
of the time. Thus, Sir John Davies, Attorney General 
to James I., bears witness that in the fourth year of 
Edward II, " the mere Irish were not only accounted 
aliens, but enemies, and altogether out of the protection 
of the law ; so that it was no capital offense to kill them ; 
which was frequently done without cause, and this is 
manifest by many records," which he cites. — Hist. Tracts^ 
/. 82. 

Q. What part did the Irish take in securing the inde- 
pendence of Scotland ? 

A. In 13 14 Edward II. invaded Scotland with seventy 
thousand men ; and many Anglo-Norman lords from Ire- 
land accompanied him. The native Irish, on the contrary, 
favored the cause of Robert Bruce, who could muster but 
thirty thousand, including a body of Irish archers sent to 
him by Donald O'Neill, King of Ulster. The two armies 



144 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

met at Bannockburn, and, after a short struggle, the 
invading host was driven from the field with great loss. 
Concerning this battle Chaucer says curtly : 

"To Albion Scots we ne'er would yield, 
The Irish bowmen won the field," 

Q. What became of the Earl of Ulster ? 

A. The earl saw his power gradually undermined by 
the lord-justice, and, though he lived to take part in the 
war against Edward Bruce, his rank was rather subordi- 
nate. His death occurred in the year 1326. 

Q. What other noted men lived at this era ? 

A. Nicholas McMelissa, the patriot-primate of Armagh, 
A.D. 1303 ; John Duns Scotus, a Franciscan monk who 
taught with applause at Paris and Cologne, and who is 
styled the " subtle doctor," on account of the acuteness of 
his intellect, a.d. 1308 ; and Malachy of Ireland, also a 
Franciscan, who was professor at Oxford, and chaplain to 
Edward II. 



CHAPTER V. 




From King Edward Brtice, A.D. 1315,/^ Art McMiir- 
rogk, A.D. 1367. 

HAT influence did the battle of Bannockburn 
have in Ireland ? 

A. It created a spirit of union among the 
native princes. Hence, Donald O'Neill of 
Ulster immediately organized a confederacy of native 
chiefs, and invited Edward Bruce, brother of the hero of 
Bannockburn, to undertake the deliverance of the coun- 
try. 

Q. Did Bruce accept the invitation ? 

A. Yes ; on the 25th May, a.d. 13 15, he landed near 
Glenarni in Antrim, with six thousand men, and was at 
once joined by O'Neill and the allied chiefs. 

Q. What was the result of his first campaign in Ire- 
land ? 

A. His first campaign was remarkably successful. 
Dundalk, Ardee, and other towns were taken ; the 
famous Red Earl was defeated at Castle Connor, and, 
except Carrickfergus, all Ulster fell into his hands. 

Q. What assembly was held by the Irish } 

A. A large assembly of native chiefs was convened at 
Dundalk, and Bruce was elected King of Ireland, and 
crowned amid great pomp and rejoicings. 

Q. Did this step alarm his enemies ? 

A. Yes ; the king of England appealed to the Pope, 
7 



146 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

and extraordinary exertions were made to meet the crisis. 
Kichard Bermingham and de Burgh levied a large army, 
and at Athenry, on the loth of August, they fell upon an 
Irish division and slew eight thousand of them, together 
with their leader, P'eilim O'Connor, King of Connaught, 
in the twenty -third year of his age. 

Q. What was done by Donald O'Neill? 

A. This talented and patriotic prince addressed an 
able letter to Pope John XXII. After speaking of the 
early history of Ireland and the invasion of Henry II. he 
described the sad condition of his country, and the cruel 
rapacity of the Anglo-Norman invaders. " They obliged 
us," says he, "to give up to them our houses and lands, 
and to seek shelter like wild beasts upon the mountains, 
in woods, marshes, and caves. Even there we are not 
secure against their fury ; they even envy us those dreary 
and terrible abodes ; they are incessant and unremitting 
in their pursuit after us, endeavoring to chase us from 
among them ; with unwarranted audacity and injustice 
they lay claim to every place in which they can discover 
us ; they allege that the whole kingdom belongs to them 
of right, and that an Irishman has no longer a right to re- 
main in his own country." 

Q. How was the war of Bruce brought to a close ? 

A. Having taken Carrickfergus in 131 7 and next year 
made a " progress " through the island in imitation of the 
ancient monarchs, he alienated the natives by his ex- 
cesses, and his army was speedily reduced to about three 
thousand men. Without waiting for reinforcements, he 
engaged at Faughard with a superior army under John 
Bermingham, and being slain at the outset of the battle, 
his followers were put to flight, October 14, a.d. 13 18. 
The death of the gallant Bruce put an end to tlie war. 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 147 

Q. How were the Anglo-Norman lords rewarded for 
their services ? 

A. Richard Bermingham was made Baron of Athen- 
ry and John, the conqueror of Bruce, was created Earl 
of Louth. After the accession of Henry HI., in 1527, 
James Butler became Earl of Ormond, a. p. 1328, and 
Thomas Fitzgerald, Earl of Desmond, 1330. 

Q. Did the country enjoy peace after this war? 

A. No ; dissensions continued to multiply among both 
natives and Anglo-Normans. Thus at Ardnocher, in 
West Meath, a.d. 1328, William McGeoghaii defeated 
Lord Butler with a loss of three thousand five hundred men, 
and in 1329 the Earl of Louth was slain at Ballybeagan 
with two hundred of his adherents. But battles are not 
the worst feature of the times, for we read that eighty 
persons were burned in a church in Leinster in 133 1, and 
three years later, two priests and one hundred and eighty 
worshippers met the same fate in Thomond ; finally, m 
1339, about twelve hundred natives were slain in Kerry 
by the Earl of Desmond. 

Q. Is there nothing cheering in the annals of this 

time ? 

A. Yes ; a few noble acts on the part of the Irish 
princes have come down to us. Thus, because Thurlogh 
O'Connor of Connaught sent away his wife, and took up 
with another woman, the Irish chieftains deposed him after 
a three years' struggle. Later on, Brian McMahon of 
Ulster was guilty of a hke crime, and was punished in the 
same manner by his indignant clansmen, a.d, 1365. 

Q. What change had taken place in England ? 

A. The Saxons and the Normans had now become one 
people with a common language, and from this time forth 
they are known to us as Englishmen. 



148 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

Q. How did Edward III. incense the Anglo-Norman 
lords in Ireland ? 

A. These lords had gradually adopted the language of 
the Irish, and now they began to act as if they were in- 
dependent of the royal authority. Hence, to punish 
them, Edward revoked all the privileges and grants of 
land made to them by himself or his ancestors, and 
ordered that all debts due by them to the crown should 
be paid, even if they had been formerly remitted, a.d. 

1341. 

Q. Whatother enactment was made by the king? 

A. In the following year he issued an ordinance pro- 
hibiting the public employment of men born, married, or 
possessing property in Ireland, and declared that all offices 
of state should be filled by fit Englishmen, having estates 
in England. 

Q. Were these laws enforced ? 

A. No ; because the lords met together at Kilkenny 
and set forth their just rights in a spirited remonstrance, 
and Edward, being on the eve of war with France, found 
it necessary to yield for a time. 

Q. Did the policy of the king have any effect ? 

A. Yes ; it excited the apprehension of the Irish-born 
Normans, and induced them to seek the friendship and 
alliance of the native princes. 

Q. What other occurrence took place ? 

A. An Irish force won distinction at Cre9y in 1347, 
and also at Calais, twelve months later ; at which time a 
frightful pestilence broke out on the continent, and ex- 
tended to Ireland, where it carried ofi" thousands of the 
English settlers. 

Q. How did the king seek to destroy the harmony 
existing between the natives and the old Norman settlers ? 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 149 

A. In 1357 it was declared treason to intermarry or 
hold relations of fosterage with the natives; and, two 
years later it was enacted that " no mere Irishman could 
be a mayor, or bailiff, or officer of any town within the 
English districts;" nor could he "hereafter, under pre- 
tence of kindred or other cause, be received into holy 
orders or advanced to any ecclesiastical benefice." 

Q. What learned men flourished at this time ? 

A. Maurice Gibellan, poet and philosopher, 1327; 
Adam of Ireland, philosopher and theologian ; David 
O'Bugey, author of a treatise on law ; John Clynn, annal- 
ist, 1349; William of Drogheda, author of the "Golden 
Summary " and a treatise on civil law ; Ralph Kelley, 
Archbishop of Cashel, canonist, a.d. 1361. 




CHAPTER VI. 

Art McMurrogh, A.D. 1^6'j fo 141'j. 

HO was lord-deputy at the beginning of this 
era? 

A. Lionel, the second son of Edward IH.. 
was created deputy and sent over with a 
force of fifteen hundred men in 1361. like a true 
princeling, he despised the troublesome natives, and pro- 
ceeded into Clare to exterminate them ; but, to his great 
surprise, his army was routed with considerable loss. 
Soon after this he took the title of Duke of Clarence, as 
a reward probably for having saved his life in Clare by 
the fieetness of his horse. 

Q. What law was enacted under Lionel ? 

A. The statute of Kilkenny, a.d. 1367. 

Q. What were the provisions of this act ? 

A. It declared that *' whereas many English of the land 
of Ireland, forsaking the English language, manners, 
mode of riding, and usages, live and govern themselves 
according to the manners, fashion, and language of the 
Irish enemies, and, also, have made divers marriages and 
alliances between themselves and the Irish enemies 
aforesaid, it is therefore enacted," among other provi- 
sions, " that all intermarriages, fosterings, gossipred, buv- 
ing or selling with the ' enemie ' shall be accounted treason ; 
that English names, fashions, and manners shall be re- 
sumed under the penalty of the confiscation of the delin- 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 151 

quent's lands ; that March-law and Brehon-law are illegal, 
and that there shall be no law but English law ; that the 
Irish shall not pasture their cattle on English lands ; that 
the English shall not entertain Irish rhymers, minstrels, 
or newsmen ; and, moreover, that no ' mere Irishman ' 
shall be admitted to anv ecclesiastical benefice or re- 
ligious house situated within the English districts," 

Q. What was the effect of this act ? 

A. It showed the Irish that they were to be utterly ex- 
terminated, and forced them to unite against the common 
enemy. 

Q. What was their success ? 

A. In 1369, O'Brien, Prince of Thomond, defeat^ed 
Garret, Earl of Desmond, near Adare, and slew many of 
his followers. Limerick was then captured, and Carrick- 
.fergus shared the same fate. In 1375 Burke and Talbot, 
two English commanders, were defeated and slain at 
Downpatrick by Niall O'Neill of Ulster, It was at this 
time also that Art McMurrogh entered on his long con- 
test with the English spoilers, and became the great cham- 
pion of national independence. 

Q. What was the condition of the English settlements ? 

A. The condition of the EngHsh was so desperate that 
William de Windsor, who was appointed lord-lieutenant 
in 1374, would consent to accept the office only on con- 
dition that he be allowed to act on the defensive, and not 
be forced to undertake new expeditions. As compensa- 
tion for his services, he was to be paid annually eleven 
thousand two hundred and thirteen pounds, six shillings 
and eight pence, a sum exceeding the whole revenue of 
the "Pale," as the English districts in Dublin, Louth, 
Kildare, and Meath began to be termed. 
. Q. Who was Art McMurrogh ? 



152 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

A. Art was born in 1357, and at the death of his father 
he became the lawful king of Leinster. In 1377 he com- 
pelled the English colonists to pay him tribute, or " black 
mail," as they termed it ; and his successors continued to 
receive the same down to the year 1603. 

Q. Who was his contemporary in Connaught ? 

A. Roderick, the last sole king of that province, a.d, 

1384. 

Q. What ill fortune overtook Art McMurrogh ? 

A. In 1392, James, the third Earl of Ormond, slew six 
hundred of his followers at Tiseofiin. 

Q. Who undertook the task of entirely exterminating 
the Leinster king ? 

A. Richard II., who was king of England since 1377. 
Feeling the burden of the tributes paid to the Irish by his 
subjects, he determined to put an end to them forever by 
exterminating McMurrogh. 

Q. Did Richard proceed to Ireland in pe/son ? 

A. Yes ; he crossed into Ireland with four thousand 
men-at-arms and thirty thousand archers, and many native 
chiefs, overawed by this force, came to terms with him, 
A.D. 1394. 

Q. What offer did Richard make to McMurrogh ? 

A. On condition that Art would deliver up all his pos- 
sessions in Leinster, Richard was kind enough to offer 
him the right to all the land he could conquer from the 
other Irish princes throughout the kingdom. 

Q. Did Art accept the offer ? 

A. No ; he did not entertain it for a moment. He 
preferred to keep his own and to fight his enemies. 

Q. What followed his refusal? 

A. Richard advanced against him ; but McMurrogh and 
his little army retired before him. After a weary march 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 153 

the royal army returned to Dublin for refreshments, and 
Richard, already tired of his war, adopted another policy 
and invited x\rt to a conference. 
Q. Was the invitation accepted ? 

A. Yes ; the two kings met at Dublin, and Richard 
showed himself more successful at wiles than at war. 
Though Art protested that he had already been knighted 
at the age of seven, he was constrained to receive that 
honor at the hands of his royal brother. This appearance 
- of friendship, however, was feigned on the part of Richard, 
and the Irish king was virtually a prisoner till he made 
good his escape from the city, a.d. 1394. 
Q. What did Richard then do ? 

A. He intrusted the government to his kinsman and 
heir, Roger Mortimer, Earl of March, and returned to 
England. 
Q. Did peace continue ? 

A. No ; soon after his departure, McMurrogh was 
again in arms. In 1397 he captured Carlow, and next 
j^ear at Kenlis he put Lord Mortimer and his whole army 
to the sword, a.d. 1398. 

Q. How did this news affect Richard ? 
A. He was filled with anger, and proceeded once more 
to Ireland with twenty-four thousand men, to chastise 
McMurrogh, who now called himself "most excellent 
King and Lord of great Ireland," a.d. 1399. 
Q. What course did Richard first pursue ? 
A. He offered terms to McMurrogh, who sent back 
word that '' he would neither submit to nor obey him in 
any way ; that he himself was the rightful king of Ireland, 
and that he would never cease from war and the defence 
of his country, until death." 

Q. Did Richard then take the field ? 



154 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

A. Yes ; but his rival retired before him, and laid 
waste the country, so that hunger and fatigue forced the 
royal invader to return to his supplies on the coast. In 
his anger at this failure, and to save further trouble, he 
offered "one hundred marks in pure gold" for McMur- 
rogh dead or alive. 

Q. What obliged Richard to return hastily to Eng- 
land ? 

A. He was forced to hasten to England to oppose 
Henry, Duke of Lancaster, who had landed in that 
country to claim the crown. The adventurer was suc- 
cessful and was crowned as Henry IV., a.d. 1399. 

Q. Did the late expedition improve the English inter- 
ests? 

x\. No ; the Irish chiefs continued to encroach on the 
possessions of the English, and to exact tribute from them 
to the amount of seven hundred pounds, a vast sum in 
those days. Even the Irish lords of English descent be- 
came more national in thought and action, though, as a 
body, they never verified the phrase, Ipsis Hibernis Hi- 
berniores, "more Irish than the Irish themselves." Some 
of the old leaven always remained in them, and they could 
never be depended upon in a crisis. 

Q. Mention the closing events of this epoch. 

A. In the year 1407 the Irish suffered a loss of eight 
hundred men at Callan in Munster ; but this defeat was 
more than counterbalanced in the following year by a 
great victory which Art gained at Kilmainham over an 
English army numbering ten thousand men. On the loth 
of May, 1414, O'Connor of Connaught defeated the 
enemy at Killucan, and three years later the aged Mc- 
Murrogh died after forty years of v/arfare against the 
enemies of his country. 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 155 

Q. What literary men were contemporary with Art Mc- 
Murrogh ? 

A. Hugh of Ireland, author of a book of travels ; 
Geoffrey O'Hogan, annalist, 1370 ; Henry Crump, a 
learned divine, 1390 ; and Augustin Magradan, hagiog- 
rapher. 




CHAPTER VII. 

Richard^ Duke of York, A.D. 141 7 ^0 1460. 

N what condition was Ireland after the death 
of McMurrogh ? 

A. It was without a leader and at the 
mercy of a horde of needy adventurers, both 
lay and clerical. 

Q. What was a common spectacle at this time ? 

A. It was a common thing for English ecclesiastics to 
hold civil office, and for priors, bishops, and archbishops 
to march with armed bands to rob and plunder the hap- 
less Irish. 

Q. Did they sanction any other policy ? 

A. Yes ; they heartily approved of the laws and penal 
enactments made in parliament against the Irish people. 

Q. Mention one of these statutes. 

A. In the fourth year of Henry V., a.d. 1417, the 
English Parliament forbade " all Irish adventurers what- 
ever " to remain in England ; at the same time, the as- 
sembly of the Pale decreed that no one should depart 
from Ireland without special permission. 

Q. Were these enactments really necessary ? 

A. No ; for instead of leaving their country in despair, 
the natives were now in a fair way of obtaining entire 
possession of it. Thus we read in a municipal petition 
to Henry VI., who obtained the throne in 1422, "that 
the enemies and rebels, aided by the Scotch, had con- 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 157 

quered or rendered tributary almost every part of the 
country except the County of Diiblm,^^ a.d. 1430. 

Q. Did this state of things discourage the EngHsh ? 

A. No; they resolved to regain by 'Maws" what they 
could not retain by arms ; hence, two years later, the Par- 
liament passed a statute entitled, " An act tjiat no person, 
liege or alien, shall take merchandise, or things to be 
sold, to faire, market, or other place, amongst the Irish 
enemies, etc., under pain of imprisonment, confiscation of 
goods, and felony." 

Q. Were the natives secure from the violence of the 
EngHsh in time of peace ? 

A. No ; as is evident from a statute whereby it was en- 
acted, A.D. 1442, "That it should be lawful for every liege 
man to take all manner of Irish enemies, which, in time 
of peace and truce, should come and converse amongst 
the English lieges " (mark the excuse), " to spy their secre- 
cies, force, ways, and subtilties, and to make of them as of 
the king's enemies ^^ that is, put them to death immediately 
widiout judge or jury. 

Q.- What enactments show the petty spirit of the Eng- 
lish laws ? 

A. In 1447 a law was enacted declaring that men should 
shave the upper lip, or be treated as Irish enemies ; and 
another, that the sons of artisans should follow the occupa- 
tions of their fathers. 

Q. Mention a crying abuse of the time ? 

A. Under the name of Coyn and livery^ a practice anal- 
ogous to the Irish bonaght^ the English, when able, were 
accustomed to quarter themselves upon the natives, and 
to exact food, forage, money, and entertainment, free of 
all charge, 

Q. Who was now made lord-lieutenant ? 



158 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

A. Richard, Duke of York, a descendant of Edward 
III., was appointed to that office for the term of ten years, 
A.D. 1449. As he aspired to the English throne, his ene- 
mies wished to place him in honorable exile in Ireland, 
and hence, they granted him the full revenues of the island, 
together with an annual salary from England. 

Q. What was the character of this prince ? 

A. He was able and affable, and easily won the affec- 
tions of the people by his justice and munificence. On 
this account, Ireland afterwards favored the house of York 
in its struggle against the I^ancaster dynasty. 

Q. What disturbance arose in England ? 

A. In P2ngland, an Irishman, named John Cade, col- 
lected twenty thousand men, and defeated the king's arm}^ 
Then he took possession of I^ondon, but after a brief 
career, he was deserted by his followers and put to death. 

Q. What resolution did the Duke of York take ? 

A. He returned to England with the design of seizing 
the crown, but, owing to adverse circumstances, he did 
not openl}' make the attack until five years later. 

Q. What happened at the expiration of that term ?- 

A. The duke then proceeded to England, where he 
levied an army, and defeated the royal troops at St. 
Albans, a.d. 1455. This battle inaugurated the long and 
bloody struggle known as the "War of the Roses." 

Q. Was the duke entirely successful ? 

A. No ; the supporters of the house of Lancaster soon 
forced him to flee to Ireland for safety, and the English 
Parliament, always sure to favor the uppermost party, pro- 
claimed him a traitor. 

Q. How was he received in Ireland ? 

A. Though the term of his commission as lord-lieuten- 
ant had expired, the people received him with joy, and 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 159 

the Anglo-Irish ParHament made it treason to seek or im- 
agine his death, a.d. 1460. 

Q. What declaration did this parliament make ? 

A. It declared that " Ireland is and always has been 
incorporated within itself by ancient laws and customs ; 
and is only to be governed by such laws as, by the lords 
and commons of the land in parliament assembled, have 
been advised, accei:)ted, affirmed, and proclaimed : " more- 
over, '^ that by custom, privilege, and franchise, there has 
ever been a royal seal peculiar to Ireland, to which alone 
the king's subjects are to pay obedience." 

Q. What became of the Duke of York ? 

A. He again went to England with many Anglo-Irish 
adherents, and, though at first successful, he was finally 
defeated and slain at the battle of Wakefield, a.d. 1560. 

Q. What men of this era are worthy of mention ? 

.A. Wilham of Waterford, writer, 1433; Richard O'He- 
dian, the patriotic Archbishop of Armagh, 1440 ; and Philip 
Norris, the author of seveial learned works, 1458. 



CHAPTER VIII. 



Unchristian Laws, A.D. 1460 to 1500. 




HAT side did the Irish take in the War of the 
Roses ? 

A. With few exceptions, they adhered to 
the house of York. 

Q. How long did the struggle continue ? 

A. From the battle of St. Albans, a.d. 1455, to that of 
Tewkesbury, a.d. 1485. 

Q. Who succeeded to the claim of Richard Duke of 
York ? 

A. His son Edward, who afterwards reigned as the 
Fourth of the name, a.d. 1461. 

Q. Did the Irish princes take advantage of the dis- 
sensions in England? 

A. They did to some degree, and, though acting with- 
out concert, they reduced the English possessions to 
very narrow limits. The old Anglo-Norman families, 
however, were left undisturbed, because looked upon as 
friends and equals, since they had adopted the manners 
and the language of the country. 

Q. How did the government try to make up for this 
defection of the colonists,? 

A. In the third year of Edward IV. an act was passed, 
which forced every Irishman within the Pale " to take to 
him an EngUsh surname of one town ; as, Sutton, Chester, 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. l6l 

Triiu, Skyrne, Corke, Kinsale ; or color ; as, White, 
Blacke, Browne ; or act or science ; as, Smith, or Car- 
penter; or office ; as, Cooke, or Butler ; and that he and 
hi-s issue shall use this name under penalty of forfeiture 
of his goods yearly." 

Q. Did many natives settle within the Pale, and change 
their names ? 

A. It would seem not ; for, in such a case, they would 
be in constant danger of being put to death at any mo- 
ment, because, in 1465, a law was made, entitled, "An 
act, that it shall be lawful to kill any Irishman that is 
found robbing by day or night, or going or coming to rob 
or steal, having no faithful man of good name or fame in 
their compan}^ in English apparel." Thus, in truth, the 
only fact necessary to be ascertained, was that a person 
was an Irishman ; for, if he were not robbing, or coming 
from robbing, who could say but that he might be going 
to rob. Therefore, he might always be put to death. 

Q. What encouragement was offered to secure the 
execution of this act ? 

A. It was afterwards enacted that after the Englishman 
had murdered his man "going to rob," he might levy a 
tax on ever}^ household in the barony where the said 
thief* was taken. 

Q. Give another sample of English laws. 

A. In a parliament held in Dublin by William Sher- 
wood, Tord-lieutenant, and Bishop of Meath, it was de- 
creed that any Englishman injured by a native beyond the 
Pale, might take vengeance oxi the entire sept of the ag- 
gressor, A.D, 1475. 

Q. What order did merchants receive ? 

A. The significant order was issued that every mer- 
chant trading in Ireland, should bring twenty shillings' 



l62 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY,. 

worth of bows and arrows into the country, for every twenty 
pounds' worth of goods he imported from England. 

Q. What law only was favorable to the Irish ? 

A. The one declaring that the inhabitants of the Pale 
should hold no intercourse with them. 

Q. How was England again disturbed by civil strife ? 

A. Edward IV. died in 1483, and was succeeded by 
his eldest son, styled Edward V. ; but this young king 
reigned only two months, when he was dethroned by 
Richard HI., who after two years was slain in battle by 
Henry VII., a.d. 1485. 

Q. What caused a gradual change in the ancient mode 
of Irish warfare ? 

A. The introduction of hand-guns which were invented 
about 1430. They were first used in Ireland by Hugh 
Roe O'Donnell in 1487, and great guns, or cannon, were 
used in sieges about ten years later. 

Q. What occurred at this time ? 

A. In i486 the Earl of Kildare, then lord-lieutenant, 
and other great lords of the Pale embraced the cause of 
an impostor named Lambert Simnel, who passed himself 
off as Edward, Earl of Warwick, whom Henry VII. held 
in confinement because, as son of the Duke of Clarence, 
he was the reputed heir of the house of York. 

Q. What steps did the adherents of the pretender 
take ? 

A. They led six thousand Irish and two thousand Ger- 
man auxiliaries to invade England ; but they were defeated 
at Stoke by a more numerous force under King Henry. 

Q. What other impostor appeared in Ireland soon after 
this? 

A. Perkin Warbeck, who called himself the Duke of 
York, the second son of Edward IV., a.d. 1492. After 



K.ATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 163 

a few weeks spent at Cork, he went to France, whence he 
afterwards returned to meet defeat at Waterford. 

Q. What famous act was now passed ? 

A. In 1494 Edward Poynings was lord-heutenant, and, 
having assembled a parliament at Drogheda in the follow- 
ing year, an act was passed, which provided among other 
things, that thereafter no legislation whatever should be 
enacted in Ireland, until the bills proposed were first sub- 
mitted to the king and council in England, and returned 
approved under the great seal of the realm. This meas- 
ure is known as " Poyning's Act." 

Q. Describe the general condition of the country ? 

A. The authority of the Earl of Kildare was paramount 
within the Pale ; the native chiefs were wasting their 
energies in frequent strifes, and the condition of affairs 
was, on the whole, far from encouraging. 

Q. Mention a few of the prominent men ? 

A. Thaddeus O'Brien, Prince of Thomond, a.d. 1466 ; 
Philip Higgins, poet, 1487 ; Charles McGuire, annalist, 
1495 ; and James Keating, prior of the Knights of St. 
John at Kilmainham, 1461-1491. 




CHAPTER IX. 

The Earls of Kildare^ A.D. i^oo to 1537. 

ID Henry Vll. give much attention to his 
Irish possessions ? 

A. No ; he merely appointed the deputies 
and occasionally settled the dissensions aris- 
ing among his subjects within the Pale. 

Q. Who was lord-lieutenant at the beginning of the 
sixteenth century ? 

A. Gerald, the eighth Earl of Kildare, a.d. 15 13. 

Q. How did this nobleman use his power ? 

A. Having quarrelled with his son-in-law, Ulick de 
Burgh, Lord of Clanricarde, Kildare called to his aid all 
the Geraldines, together with many lords of the Pale, 
and several native chieftains of the north. 

Q. Who assisted de Burgh ? 

A. O'Brien of Thomond, and many other chiefs of 
Munster. 

Q. Which party was victorious ? 

A. A battle was fought at Knocktow near Gal way, 
where Kildare routed his enemies, who lost two thousand 
men. 

Q. What incident shows the undying hatred cherished 
towards the natives by the Anglo-Irish ? 

A. After the battle William Preston, Viscount of Gor- 
manstown, said to the Earl of Kildare, " We have 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 165 

slaughtered our enemies, but to complete the good deed, 
we must proceed still farther — cut the throats of those 
Irish of our party." — See Leiand, vol. ii., p. 120. 

Q. Was this advice followed ? 

A. No ; to do so would undoubtedly have given them 
great pleasure, but, knowing that the Irish had arms in 
their hands, they thought better of it, especially as the 
Irish were not incUned to die just then. 

Q. What happened within the next few years ? 

A. In 1509 Henry VII. was succeeded by Henry VIII., 
and in the following year, Kildare, the lord-lieutenant, 
was defeated at Monetrar in Munster by O'Brien of Tho- 
mond, assisted by the Earl of Desmond. Three years 
later Carrickfergus was taken, and its garrison put to the 
sword by Hugh O'Donnell of Tyrconnell. At this time 
also, the Earl of Kildare died and was succeeded by his 
son Gerald, the ninth and last Catholic earl of the name. 

Q. How much of Ireland was held by the English at 
the accession of Henry VIII. ? 

A. Only half of the five counties of Dublin, Meath, 
Louth, Wexford, and Kildare. Even the bulk of the in- 
habitants of these districts were Irish in birth, habits, and 
language. 

Q. What is said of the Geraldines or Fitzgeralds of 
Munster ? 

A. The Geraldines of Munster were gradually extend- 
ing their possessions by encroaching upon the native 
chiefs, but at last Mac Carthy of Carbery, and O'Brien of 
Thomond, united their forces and defeated them with a 
loss of two thousand men, a.d. 1520. A less pleasing 
victory was that at Knockavoe in Ulster, where O'Neill 
lost nine hundred of his clansmen in a contest against his 
rival O'Donnell. 



1 66 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY, 

Q. What foreign alliance was made by the Earl of 
Desmond, the chief of the Geraldines ? 

A. Desmond assumed the dignity of a sovereign prince, 
and in 1523 formed an alliance with Francis I., of France, 
who promised to land in Ireland with fifteen thousand 
men to expel the English from the Pale. 

Q. Was the project carried out ? 

A. No ; Francis was taken prisoner at Pavia by his rival 
Charles V. of Spain, and Desmond had to moderate his 
ambition. 

Q. Was Desmond punished for his conduct ? 

A. The Earl of Kildare was ordered to chastise him, 
but, disliking the office, he proceeded to Ulster under pre- 
text of restoring order in that province. 

Q. Was the king satisfied with the conduct of his 
deputy ? 

A. No ; he called Kildare to England to account for 
his disobedience. Before his departure, the earl placed the 
government in the hands of his son. Ford Thomas Fitz- 
gerald, surnamed Silken Thomas, who was but twenty 
years of age. 

Q. What happened to the earl in England ? 

A. On his arrival in London he was imprisoned in the 
Tower on a charge of treason. 

Q. What did his enemies then do ? 

A. In order that his son, the young Lord Thomas, 
might bring ruin on all his house by some rash act, they 
forged despatches to Ireland, reporting that the earl had 
been executed by order of the king. 

Q. What action did Lord Thomas take upon hearing 
this report ? 

A. He proceeded at once to the privy-council chamber 
with one hundred and forty of his followers, and flinging 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY, 16 f 

the sword of state on the council-table, he indignantly re- 
nounced his allegiance to Henry VIII. 

Q. What was his next step ? 

A. He took up arms against the royal authority. Hav- 
ing fixed his headquarters at Maynooth, he overran the 
neighborhood of Dublin ; but after some time he lost this 
stronghold by treachery, and his followers, becoming dis- 
couraged, dispersed. 

Q. Did Lord Thomas surrender ? 

A. After a formidable resistance among the woods and 
defiles of I.einster, the youthful rebel was induced to sub- 
mit, on the promise of pardon by Lord Grey, the king's 
deputy. 

Q. Did Grey keep his promise ? 

A. No ; he sent his prisoner to England, and then, 
having invited the five uncles of his victim to dine with 
him, he treacherously seized them all, and, though three 
of them had taken no part in the risino^, all were sent to 
England, where they were hanged together at Tyburn, by 
order of Henry, February 3d, 1537. 

Q, What fate befell the treacherous Grey ? 

A. He lost the favor of his sovereign, and, by a just 
retribution, was himself hanged at Tyburn. 

Q. What important event took place meanwhile ? 

A. In consequence of being refused a divorce from his 
lawful wife, Henry VLil. broke with the Pope, and, re- 
jecting his authority, set up his own claims as head of the 
Church, A.D. 1537. 

Q. Wliat speaks well for the Iiish gentlemen of this age ? 

A. The fact that the English had to have recourse to 
law to prevent their maidens from espousing Irishmen, as 
appears from a law entitled, " An act agamst marrying 
with or fostering to Irishmen." 



1 68 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

Q. What writers flourished in this age ? 

A. Manus O'Donnell, biographer of St. Columba, 1520, 
and Maurice O'Fihely, also called Maurice a Portu, who 
was Archbishop of Tuam, and one of the most learned 
men of his age. Among- other works, he wrote the life of 
Scotus, and commentaries on the latter' s works, together 
with an '' P^nchiridion of the P^aith," a dictionary of the 
Sacred Scriptures, &c., &c., a. d. 1513. 



SECOND PERIOD. 

Ireland and Her English Protestant Rulers, a.d. 
1537 TO A.D. 1878. 




CHAPTER I. 

John ONeill, A.D. jS37 fo 1S67. 

HAT is the last division of Irish History? 

A. The last section of Irish History is from 
the Reformation to the present time, a period 
of about three hundred and fifty years. 
Q. What do you mean by the Reformation ? 
A. By the Reformation is meant the great rebellion 
which took place in the sixteenth century against the doc- 
trine and authority of the Catholic Church. 
Q. Who were its leaders ? 

A. In Germany the principal leader was Martin Luther, 
a Saxon friar ; in Switzerland, John Calvin, a rigid fana- 
tic ; in Scotland, John Knox, an apostate monk ; and, in 
England, Henry V'lII., a voluptuous tyrant. Ail these 
rejected the pope's authority over the Church, and as- 
serted their own supremacy in place of it. 

Q. When was the Reformation introduced into Ire- 
land ? 

A. In 1535 George Brown, an apostate priest, was 



1 7© CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

made first Protestant archbishop of Dublin by Henry 
VIII. ; but it was not till the parliament of Dublin was 
convened two years later, that the reformed religion was 
introduced by law. 

Q. Did the Irish people embrace the \-\q\n doctrines ? 

A. No ; with the exception of five bishops, three priests, 
and a few laymen, all continued to adhere to the ancient 
faith. 

Q. How did the reformers begin their work ? 

A. They seized several abbeys, convents, and monas- 
teries, and confiscated them for the benefit of the crown, 
or granted them as bribes to those who were willing to re- 
form. 

Q. What did the Catholics do to prevent this spolia- 
tion ? 

A. Those in Ulster took up arms, but were defeated 
with great loss. Then they sent a deputation to James 
V. of Scotland, with an offer of submission from all the 
great men of Ireland, if he would aid them against the 
spoilers. The king consented and organized an expedi- 
tion consisting of fifteen vessels and two thousand men, 
but, unfortunately, it never landed in Ireland. 

Q. What followed this failure ? 

A. Henry VIII. assembled a parliament at Dublin 
and had himself elected " King of Ireland." As there 
were but few natives present, the act, of course, was of no 
force. By the native annalists Henry would be classed 
among the kings "with opposition," a.d. 1541. 

Q. What chiefs acknowledged the new title ? 

A. Conn O'Neill of Ulster, who was rewarded with the 
title of Earl of Tyrone ; Murrogh O'Brien, who was made 
Earl of Thomond ; and Ulick Mac AVilliam Burke, who 
was dubbed Earl of Clanricarde. Brian Fitzpatrick and 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 171 

Matthew the son of O'Neill obtained each the dignity of 
Baron. 

Q. How were the new lords regarded by the people ? 

A. They were universally despised for their servility, 
and, on their return to Ireland, they were deposed or driven 
into exile as unworthy to command a free people. . 

Q. What took place in Meath ? 

A. The ancient province of Meath was divided into 
the counties of Meath and West Meath. Henry VIH. 
died soon afterwards and was succeeded by his son Ed- 
ward VI., a boy of nine years, a.d. 1547. 

Q. What did the new government do ? 

A. Several septs that rebelled were crushed and their 
territory confiscated. 'Divine service began to be held in 
the English language, and the ancient church of Clon- 
macnoise was plundered of its books and sacred vessels. 

Q. What brought hope to the Catholics ? 

A. Edward VI. died in 1553, and was succeeded by 
his sister, Mary Tudor, who was a Catholic. 

Q, What are the principal events of her reign ? 

A. In England the parliament and most of the refor- 
mers renounced the Reformation and returned to the 
Church. Many who refused to do so were put to death. 
Others sought refuge on the continent or in Ireland, 
where the Catholic corporation of Dublin generously 
provided them with houses. 

Q. What wrong was perpetrated under Mary ? 

A. The districts of Leix and O'Faily, which had been 
confiscated under Edward VI., were again pillaged and 
many of the inhabitants massacred. This territory was 
henceforth called "King's County" and " Queen's Coun- 
ty," and the chief towns were named "Maryborough" 
and " Philipstown," in honor of Queen Mary and her 



172 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

husband Philip II. of Spain, whom she had lately es- 
poused. 

Q. How long did Mary occupy the throne ? 

A. She held it but five years, and was then succeeded 
by her sister Elizabeth, a.d. 1558. . 

Q. Who was the most noted Irish chieftain of this 
period. 

A. John the Proud, better known as Shane O'Neill, 
who took the title of " King of Ulster." 

Q. How did O'Neill first attract attention ? 

A. By deposing his father, who had accepted from 
Henry VIII. the English title of Earl of Tyrone. 

Q. What were the first acts of Elizabeth's reign ? 

A. On her accession she immediately rejected the 
authority of the pope, and had herself declared governess 
of the English Church. A new liturgy or prayer-book, 
called the " Book of Common Prayer," was compiled, and 
all her subjects were forced to use it under severe penalties. 
Then the mass was abolished, the sacraments were re- 
duced to two, the clergy were expelled, and the images were 
removed from the churches. This was the fifth time that 
the religion of England was changed within thirty years. 

Q. What was done in Ireland by the queen's deputy ? 

A. The Earl of Sussex, the queen's deputy, introduced 
all the Protestant innovations into Ireland. Then he 
proceeded to reconstruct the country. He changed the 
territory of Annaly into the County of Longford ; and, six 
other counties, Clare, Galway, Sligo, Mayo, Leitrim, and 
Roscommon were formed within the province of Con- 
naught, A.D, 1562. 

Q. Was John O'Neill idle in the meanwhile? 

A. No ; he was bus}^ extending his authority over the 
whole of Ulster. 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 173 

Q. How did he avoid hostilities with the government ? 
A. Being suspected of plotting against Elizabeth, and 
not being fully prepared to take up arms, he went to Lon- 
don to clear himself. So successful was he, that the queen 
received him among her favorites, and on his departure 
.gave him rich presents. 

Q. Did this visit change his policy .? 
A. No; he continued to assert his sovereignty over 
Ulster, which he defended valiantly against the attacks of 
both the English and the Scotch. 

Q. Did the English authorities fear him ? 
A. Yes ; he was greatly distrusted and feared by Sussex, 
who frequently reported his conduct to the queen. 
Q. What answer did she make ? 

A. She said, " Let not your suspicions of O'Neill give 
you uneasiness. Tell my troops to take courage, and 
that this rebellion may turn to their advantage, as there 
will be lands to bestow on those who have need of them." 
Q. Was O'Neill intimidated by this hint ? 
A. Ear from it ; assembling his forces he assailed 
Maguire and O'Donnell, who were on friendly terms with 
the deputy. He then overran the English districts, and 
routed a body of Scotch, who had landed in Ulster. 
Q. What offer did Elizabeth make to O'Neill? 
A. In order to obtain peace, she offered him the title 
of Earl of Tyrone, and Baron of Dungannon, with a 
promise to annul the patents of Henry WW., which 
secured to his brother, Matthew O'Neill, the right of suc- 
cession to the estates and honors of Tyrone. 

Q. What answer did O'Neill give the commissioners 
who brought this offer ? 

A. "If," said he, '^your mistress, Elizabeth, be Queen 
of England, I am O'Neill, King of Ulster : I never made . 



174 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

peace with her, without having been previously solicited 
to it by her. I am not ambitious of the abject title of 
P2arl ; both my family and birth raise me above it ; I will 
not yield precedence to any one ; my ancestors have been 
Kings of Ulster ; I have gained that kingdom by my 
sword, and by my sword I will preserve it." 

Q. What resolution did the government adopt ? 

A. They resolved to undermine his influence and then 
destroy him. With this object in view, they planted a 
garrison of one thousand five hundred men at Derry, 
which was within his territory. But O'Neill attacked the 
town, and during the assault the powder magazine blew 
up accidentally, and seven hundred of the English were 
killed. The rest left the place. 

Q. How did the war end ? 

A. O'Neill slew four hundred men at the battle of 
Saginns, which was his last success, for meanwhile, Sussex 
succeeded in detaching his allies from him by bribes. 
Then he was defeated at Lough Swilly, and being with- 
out resources, he sought shelter wdth a Scotch force at 
Clanbuoy, where he was treacherously slain at the insti- 
gation of an EngUsh officer named Piers. This man 
received a reward of one thousand marks from tl^e gov- 
ernment for his services. 

Q. What did this war cost Elizabeth ? ' 

A. In two years it cost her three thousand five hundred 
of her troops and the sum of one hundred and forty-seven 
thousand four hundred and seven pounds, which is equal 
to about eight million dollars of our money at the present 
valuation. 




CHAPTER II. 

The Geraldine League, A. D. 1567/(7 1588. 

HAT was the condition of Ireland at the death 
of John O'Neill? 

A. Within the English Pale things were 
somewhat better under Elizabeth than under 
her predecessors. The greatest evils were excessive tax- 
ation and a debased silver currenc}^, of which three- 
fourths was brass. The rest of the country was still dis- 
turbed by frequent strife and civil wars. 

Q. Who were the chief promoters of discord ? 

A. The cutthroats and scum of England, who flocked 
into Ireland under pretence of loyalty, where, under the 
sanction of the gov^ernment, they had ample liberty to rob 
and ravish to their heart's content. The cruelty they 
practised was fiendish and truly heartrending ; nor is this 
to be wondered at, since the very source of public justice 
was corrupt, and the crime of wholesale assassination was 
sanctioned by law. 

Q. What other class of adventurers now appeared in 
Ireland for the first time ? 

A. About this time a new band of fortune-hunters from 
England appeared in the country. They came with all 
sorts of rights and privileges from the queen, to dispossess 
the natives and establish English colonies. They were 
termed " Undertakers " by the people, and were akin to the 
" carpet-baggers" who overran the Southern States after the 



176 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

Civil War. The first of these, bearing the name of Smith, 
landed in Ulster, but he was killed by the inhabitants, 
and his followers dispersed, a.d. 1570. Smith, however, 
had numerous successors who were much more fortu- 
nate. The most famous was Walter Devereux, Earl of 
Essex, who in 1573 arrived with six hundred men to seize 
vast tracts of land which had been granted to him in 
Ulster by the queen. 

Q. What crime did this nobleman commit? - 

A. " On the conclusion of peace," says a manu- 
script in Trinity College, he " invited Brian O'Neill of 
Clanbuoy, with a great number of his relations, to an en- 
tertainment, where they lived together in great harmony, 
making good cheer for three days and nights ; when, on 
a sudden, O'Neill was surprised with an arrest, together 
with his brother and his wife, by the earl's orders. His 
friends were put to the sword before his face, nor were 
the women or children spared. He himself, with his 
brother and wife, was sent to Dublin, where they were 
cut into quarters." 

Q. What trouble arose in Munster ? 

A. Eor several generations the houses of Ormond and 
Desmond, the Butlers, and the Fitzgeralds, struggled for 
supremacy in Munster. At length a dispute arose be- 
tween them about boundaries, and the question was re- 
ferred to Sidney, the lord-deputy. The Ormondists, al- 
ways noted for their diplomacy, obtained a decision in 
their favor. To this, Desmond, who was undoubtedly 
in the right, refused to submit, whereupon he was seized 
by Sidney, and sent to England to be confined in the 
Tower. 

Q. What league was then organized ? 

A. The princes of Munster formed a league, and then 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. T77 

took the field to defend their religion and possessions 
against the tj-ranny of the government. They also sent 
a deputation to solicit assistance from Pius V. and Philip 
II. of Spain ; but meanwhile, Sir Peter Carew, President 
of Munster, acted with so much vigor that several chiefs 
were forced to submit. 

Q. Did the war then cease? 

A. It did not. A cousin of the Earl of Desmond, 
James Fitzmaurice Fitzgerald, the soul of the league, con- 
tinued the struggle, and obtained several victories over 
the royal troops under Sir John Perrott. 

Q. What effect did this have upon the queen ? 

A. Elizabeth, anxious to preserve her authority in Ire- 
land, released the Earl of Desmond from the Tower, and 
bound him to jDut an end to the rebellion of Fitzmaurice. 

Q, Did the earl keep his promise ? 

A. He could not be expected to do so ; for when he 
reached Dublin, he was forced to flee into his own 
country to escape the treachery of Fitzwilliam, the queen's 
deputy. 

Q. What added new bitterness to the struggle ? 

A. In 1577, with the approval of the deputy, Francis 
Cosby, President of Leinster, invited all the powerful na- 
tive families to Mullaghmast, in King's County, to confer 
with the English settlers. Then, as the Irish came to th© 
place of meeting, four hundred of them were massacred 
1)3^ the government troops. On the following day the 
woods were scoured, and four hundred more were butch- 
ered by the same cutthroats. 

Q. How did Fitzmaurice seek to strengthen his cause ? 

A. Leaving Roderick O' Moore, and James Eustace, Vis- 
cuunt Baltinglass, to carry on the war, Fitzmaurice proceed- 
ed to the continent to obtain assistance from the Catholic 
8* 



178 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

powers. Hosts of English spies watched his movements, 
but at length, with the assistance of Gregory XIIL, he or- 
ganized an expedition for the deliverance of his country. 

Q. How were his efforts frustrated ? 

A. The expedition was diverted from its object by 
Thomas Stuckely, an English adventiirer, who had obtain- 
ed command of the fleet Meanwhile, the brave Geral- 
dine hastened back to Ireland with eighty companions. 

Q. What became of Fitzmaurice ? 

A. On his arrival his little band was dispersed by the 
impolitic Earl of Desmond, and, a few days later, himself 
was mortally wounded in a skirmish with some of his own 
kindred, who were as base as he was noble. August i8th, 
A.D, 1579. 

Q. Who succeeded Fitzmaurice ? 

A. John, the brother of the Earl of Desmond, was 
made head of the League, After gaining several victories 
over his enemies, he was slain in the following year. 

Q. Did the Irish have other brave leaders ? 

A. Yes ; the Earl of Desmond himself, was now forced 
into the war, by the excesses of the English leaders, who 
desired to have an excuse for dividing his vast estates 
among themselves. About this time also Fiach Mac 
Hugh O'Byme defeated the army of the deputy, Lord 
Grey, and slew eight hundred of his men at Glenmalure, 
in Wicklow. Among the dead were Sir Peter Carew and 
Col. Francis Cosby, who richly deserved their end. August 
iSth, 1580. 

Q. Did Desmond receive any foreign aid ? 

A. Yes ; in September, a Spanish force of eight hundred 
men landed at Smerwick, in Kerry. 

Q. What was their fate ? 

A. The place was invested by Lord Grey, and after 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 179 

forty days the garrison surrendered on condition of their 
lives being spared. When all were disarmed, Sir Walter 
Raleigh entered the fort with a body of troops, and order- 
ed these eight hundred prisoners of war to be massacred, 
and flung down the rocks into the sea. Among the apol- 
ogists of this crime is the English poet Spenser, who was 
present at the bloody scene. 

Q. What became of the Earl of Desmond ? 

A. After making a gallant struggle against overwhelm- 
ing numbers, he was forced to seek safety by concealing 
himself in a wood, where he was soon afterwards discov- 
ered and murdered in cold blood. His head was sent to 
England by his rival Ormond, for the gratification of Eliza- 
beth, who ordered it to be exposed on London bridge. 
His vast estates, amounting to five hundred and seventy- 
four thousand six hundred and twenty-eight acres, were 
confiscated by the queen, and divided among the enemies 
who had brought him to ruin by goading him into rebel- 
lion, A.D. 1584. 

Q. What was the condition of Munster after the war ? 

A. In the language of Edmund Spenser, that " most 
populous and plentiful country " was reduced to *' a heap 
of carcasses and ashes." 

Q. By whom was this state of things brought about ? 

A. By the English authorities, who encouraged their 
soldiers to kill, burn, and destroy without restraint ; and 
so eager were these minions for slaughter, that " they 
spared neither man, woman, nor child, but all were com- 
mitted to the sword," — Hollifished^ iv., 430. 

Q. Mention some of the practices of these Evangelical 
Christians. 

A. After Desmond's death, and the entire suppression 
of his rebellion, unheard-of cruelties were committed on 



l8o CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

the inhabitants of Munster by the EngUsh commanders. 
Great companies of these provincials, men, women, and 
children, were often forced into castles and other houses, 
which were then set on fire. And if any of them at- 
tempted to escape from the flames, they were shot or 
stabbed by the soldiers who stood guard outside. It was 
a diversion to these monsters of men to take up infants 
on the points of the spear, and whirl them about in their 
agony, apologizing for their cruelty by saying, that "if 
they suffered them to live to grow up, they would become 
popish rebels." " Many women were found hanging on 
trees, with their children at their breasts, strangled by the 
mother's hair." — Lombard. Comment, de Hibern.., p. 535, 
in note apud Curry ^ Hist. Review^ p. 2 7. 

Q. What illustrious personages were put to death on 
account of their religion ? 

A. Patrick Healy, Bishop of Mayo, racked and stran- 
gled, 1578 ; Dr. Hurley, Archbishop of Cashel, hanged, 
1584; and Richard Creagh, Archbishop of Armagh, Pri- 
mate of all Ireland, poisoned in the Tower of London, 
1585. Besides these, scores of bishops and priests were 
barbarously hanged, drawn, and quartered for the faith, 
in different parts of the country. 



CHAPTER III. 




Hugh aNeill, A.D. 1588 to 1615. 

HAT revived the hopes of the Irish after the 
Geraldine war ? 

A. No sooner had the Geraldine League 
been washed out with the blood of its chiefs, 
than a new source of hope presented itself to poor bleed- 
ing Ireland. A vast naval expedition, known as the 
Spanish or invincible armada, was fitted out against 
England by Philip II., of Spain. It consisted of one 
hundred and thirty-five vessels of war, ten thousand 
sailors, and nineteen thousand soldiers, together with 
immense stores. 

Q. What was the fate of this expedition ? 

A. Soon after leaving Spain, the fleet encountered a 
violent storm, lost its admiral, and was partly defeated 
by the enemy. Then, on approaching England, it was 
dispersed in a great storm, and nineteen large vessels 
and several thousand men were lost on the coast of 
Ireland. 

Q. What celebrated man flourished at this time ? 

A. Hugh O'Neill, nephew of Conn, the late Earl of 
Ulster. 

A. What was his character ? 

A. He was brave, able, and accomplished, and was the 
first Irish leader who knew how to use "policy" in his 
dealings with the crafty English. 



1 82 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

Q. What caused him to be suspected by the govern- 
ment ? 

A. He was mistrusted because he gave shelter and 
assistance to the Spaniards, who had been shipwrecked 
on the coast of Ulster during the late expedition. 

Q. What led him to prepare for war ? 

A. He saw how English adventurers were plundering 
and executing one native chief after another ; and know-, 
ing that his own estates were eagerly coveted by them, he 
determined to arm and be prepared for every emergency, 

Q. Did he rely solely on his own resources ? 

A. No ; he organized a confederacy which included 
nearly all the Irish princes ; but his principal allies were 
Maguire of Fermanagh, and Hugh Roe O'Donnell of 
Tyrconnell. 

Q. How did the war begin ? 

A. O'Neill surprised a fort on the Blackwater, and es- 
tablished an entrenched camp; while O'Donnell over- 
ran Longford, and, entering Connaught, drove out the 
undertakers, a.d. 1594. 

Q. Who won the first battle in the war thus inaugurated ? 

A. The first engagement took place at Clontibret, 
where O'Neill routed the army of Sir John Norris. The 
Irish were likewise successful at Stradbally Bridge, and at 
Armagh, a.d., 1595. 

Q. Did success continue to crown their efforts ? 

A. Yes ; they were victorious at Drumflinch, where 
Lord Borough, the deputy, and his cliief officers lost their 
lives ; and in West Meath, where Captain Richard Tyrrell 
slew one thousand Anglo-Irish in the pass which still 
bears his name. In 1598 Ormond, the lord-lieutenant, 
was routed at Leix, and lost four hundred men; but the 
greatest defeat suffered by the English was at Yellow 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY.' 183 

Ford, near Armagh, where Marshal Bagnal was slain with 
one thousand seven hundred of his men. The Irish on 
this occasion lost but eight hundred in killed and wounded. 
Aug. 15, 1598. 

Q. Who was now appointed to command the queen's 
troops ? 

A. Robert, Earl of Essex, son of the famous under- 
taker, was next sent against O'Neill. Besides two thou- 
sand horse and twenty thousand foot soldiers, he received 
the immense sum of three hundred and forty thousand 
pounds yearly with which to carry on the war. 

Q. Were the Irish able to oppose this force? 

A. They were not; but Essex, divided his army, and 
the Irish, avoiding a general engagement, obtained several, 
successes by cutting off his detachments, 

Q. Mention a few of tlie triumphs. 

A. In a skirmish with the O'Moores of Leix, Essex lost 
five hundred men, and, to this day, the place of the en- 
gagement is called "The Pass of the Plumes," from the 
number of feathers left there by his cavalrymen ; in 
Wicklow the O' Byrnes overthrew another detachment ; 
and in the Carlow mountains. Sir Conyers Clifford, gover- 
nor of Connaught, was killed with one thousand four hun- 
dred of his men, by O'Ruark and O'DonnelL, whose loss 
was but one hundred and forty. 

Q, What did Essex do after these reverses ? 

A, He made a truce with O'Neill, and then hastened to 
England to appease the queen ; but on his arrival he was 
sent to the Tower, where he was soon afterwards be- 
headed. 

Q. Who was the next lord-deputy ? 

A- Charles Blount, better known as Lord Mountjoy, A. 
D. 1600. 



1 84 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

Q. What course did this man pursue ? 

A. He made a freer use of " art and cunning" than of 
arms, thus carrying out Lord Bacon's advice, viz. : first, 
to divide his enemies, and then to conquer them. To 
accomphsh this, various base means were used ; " sham 
and counterfeit letters," written by Sir George Carew ; 
bribes offered to the lesser princes ; prices placed on the 
heads of the leaders, and assassination when all else failed. 

Q. What was the effect of such wicked policy ? 

A. The result was most deplorable. Thus a " Queen's 
O'Reilly " was raised up in Cavan ; a ^' Queen's Maguire," 
in Fermanagh ; and so on throughout the land. Among 
those lured by promises of reward was the able but impe- 
rious Niall Garve O'Donnell, who had up to this time done 
good service for his country. 

Q. What brave leader did the Irish lose ? 

A. The gallant Maguire, who was mortally wounded in 
single combat with Marshal St. Leger, whom he slew. 

Q.. What assistance did O'Neill receive ? 

A. In 1 60 1, about three thousand Spaniards landed in 
Munster, and took possession of Kinsale. 

Q. How did the rival commanders act. 

A. Mountjoy hastened to invest the place with a large 
fleet, and an army of fifteen thousand men, while O'Neill 
and O'Donnell came to its aid with a force numbering 
about seven thousand. 

Q. Did the Irish risk a battle ? 

A. Yes; urged by tee repeated entreaties of Don Joan, 
the Spanish general, O'Neill reluctantly consented to 
attack the superior force of Mountjoy, and, had not his 
plans been betrayed to the enemy, the result might have 
been successful. 

Q. Was O'Neill defeated ? 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY, 185 

A. He was, with the loss of one thousand two hundred 
men, besides several prisoners whom the Enghsh slew in 
cold blood. O'Neill then withdrew to Ulster, and Kin- 
sale was surrendered by the Spaniards. 

Q. How was O'Neill deprived of his principal ally? 

A. O'Donnell was dispatched to implore the king of 
Spain for further assistance, but he was stricken with fever 
at Simancas, and died on the loth of September, 1602, in 
the twenty-ninth year of his age ? 

Q. What took place at Dunboy ? 

A. At the castle of Dunboy one hundred and forty-three 
men under Richard Mac Geoghegan held four thousand 
English veterans in check during eleven days. In vain 
did Carew swear and offer his bribes; the brave defenders 
died one by one at their post till but fifty-eight survived, 
and these, overpowered by numbers, were hanged in the 
English camp, so that not one of that heroic bq,nd escaped 
alive. 

Q. To what condition had the war reduced the coun- 
try ? 

A. The whole island was in a frightful state of desola- 
tion ; and death, either by famine, or the sword, was the 
usual fate of the inhabitants. 

Q. Give an instance showing the perfidy of the English 
queen ? 

A. In 1602, she issued a proclamation that all priests 
should leave the country, and, to enable them to do so, she 
promised them a free passage. Fifty-one monks accepted 
this offer, but when they were in mid-ocean, all were 
> flung into the sea, in accordance with private instructions 
received from Elizabeth. 

Q. Were these the only ones put to death for the faith 
by this wicked queen ? 



l86 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

A. No ; all through her reign bishops and priests were 
slaughtered in great numbers. 

Q. Did Catholic education suffer much under Eliza- 
beth ? 

A. Yes ; Catholics were not permitted to have their 
own schools, or to educate their own children. They 
remedied this, however, by founding seminaries at Sala- 
manca, in 1582, at I^isbon, in 1595, at Douay, in 1596, 
and at Bordeaux, in 1603. 

Q. What institution did the Protestants found to pro- 
mote their views ? 

A. They established Trinity College, on the site of the 
ancient Monastery of All Hallows, a.d. 1601. 

Q. Did O'Neill continue the war ? 

A. He did for some time longer, but at length, being 
unwilling to increase the sufferings of his country by pro- 
longing the contest, he accepted honorable terms from 
Mountjoy, and submitted to Elizabeth, who died before 
the good news reached her. 

Q. Who succeeded EHzabeth ? 

A. James VI. of Scotland, who took the title of 
" James the Eirst, King of Great Britain and Ireland." 

Q. What measure did he carry into effect in Ireland ? 

A. He enforced the penal laws, abolished Tanistry and 
Gavelkind, and divided the whole kingdom into judicial 
circuits, presided over by English judges. 

Q. How did O'Neill become the victim of artifice ? 

A. An anonymous letter was dropped in the Council 
Chamber at Dublin Castle, containing charges of high 
treason against him and O'Donnell, Earl of Tyrconnell, on 
the ground that they had attended a meeting of Catholic 
gentlemen. 

Q. What course did the accused pursue ? 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 187 

A. Although innocent of the charge of treason, they 
knew that the government had resolved on theh destruc- 
tion, and that a jury could easily be packed to convict 
them, and hence they fled to the continent, a.d. 1607. 

Q, What other event marks this year ? 

A. O'Doherty, Prince of Innishowen, received a gross 
insult from Paulett, Governor of Derry, and at once Hew- 
to arms, and, putting the garrison of Derry to the sword, 
vi^iped out the affront in the blood of its author. This 
outbreak lasted but a few months, and the young chief, 
who was scarcely twenty-one, atoned for his rashness with 
his life. 

Q. What was the fate of O'Neill and his companions ? 

A. The year made memorable by the " flight of the 
earls," is also noted for that of the death of most of them. 
In July, O'Donnell died at Rome ; in August, Maguire ex- 
pired at Genoa ; and in September, another was laid in his 
grave. O'Neill himself lingered on eight weary years at 
Rome, and died an exile among strangers, leaving only an 
imperishable name, a.d. 16 16. 



CHAPTER IV. 



Confiscation and Exfoi^iion, A.D. 1608 to 1641. 




HAT occurred in Ulster after the "flight of 
the earls ? " 

A. All the six counties of Ulster were con- 
fiscated by a royal commission under Sir Wil- 
liam Parsons. 

Q. How did the government dispose of them ? 

A. Certain regulations were drawn uji under the title of 
*' Orders and Conditions of Planters," by which the six 
counties were to be settled by "colonies of civil men well 
affected in religion." 

Q. Who obtained grants ? 

A. The Protestant bishops of Ulster got forty-three 
thousand acres; Trinity College, thirty thousand acres ; 
the trades-union associations of London, two hundred and 
nine thousand eight hundred acres, including the city of 
Derry, which they rebuilt and called Londonderry. Pri- 
vate individuals received the remainder in sections of one 
thousand, one thousand five hundred, and two thousand 
acres each — in all, about three hundred and eighty-five 
thousand acres. 

Q. What was one of the conditions under which the 
land was given ? 

A. The main condition was, that no one refusing to 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 189 

take the oath of supremacy, should be suffered to reside 
thereon, thereby excluding all Catholics. 

Q. Was the confiscation just and lawful ? 

A. No; but contrary to all law and justice. To give 
some appearance of legality to his robbery, King Jauies 
sought the sanction of his parliament in 1613. 

Q. Did this assembly approve of the king's conduct ? 

A. Not until he had packed it by the creation of forty 
new boroughs in one day. The new members, being his 
creatures, supported the king. 

Q. What new scheme for plunder did James concoct ? 

A.- He formed " The Commission for the Discovery of 
Defective Titles," to detect pretended flaws in the deeds 
of property holders, in order that he might seize the land, 
or compel the owners to pay heavily for new titles. 

Q. Who presided over this commission ? 

A. Sir William Parsons, a great bigot, who had come to 
Ireland in a menial condition. 

Q. By what means did Parsons procure evidence ? 

A. By taking a horde of spies and -'discoverers" into 
his pay, and by torturing witnesses in the most cruel man- 
ner. Thus, in the case of the O'Byrnes of Wicklow, one 
gentleman, named Archer, was placed on a gridiron over 
a charcoal fire, and had his body burned with hot irons till 
he testified whatever Parsons Avanted. 

Q. What was the fruit of this barbarity ? 

A. The king obtained four hundred and fifty-one thou- 
sand acres in Leinster. 

Q. Did James meditate other confiscations ? 

A. Yes ; he had the Scotch itch for money, and it was 
his intention to confiscate Con naught also ; but before he 
could effect his purpose, he was cut off by death, and suc- 
ceeded by his son Charles I., a.d. 1625. 



190 , CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

Q. How did the new king treat his Irish subjects? 

A. Like his father, he never ceased to rob and perse- 
cute them. 

Q. What step did some CathoUc gentlemen take at this 
time ? 

A. They held a meeting in Dubhn, and being joined by 
several Protestants of rank, they sent a petition to the 
king, requesting him to grant the people certain rights, 
mildly called "graces." 

Q. Enumerate these graces. 

A. Free trade ; equal justice ; security of property; the 
prevention of military excesses ; a mitigation of the ex- 
cesses practised by the parsons ; the abolition of ecclesi- 
astical prisons, and a general free pardon for past of- 
fences. 

Q. What did the petitioners offer for these conces- 
sions ? 

A. They agreed to give the king the sum of one hun- 
dred thousand pounds, then equal to ten times that 
amount at present. 

Q. Did Charles take the money ? 

A. He did, and several thousand pounds sterling in ad- 
dition. 

Q. Did he grant the graces ? 

A. He did not ; for the reason that he feared the en- 
mity of the Protestant clergy. 

Q. How did the Protestant bishops meddle in this af- 
fair ? 

A. They declared with great bigotry and ill manners 
that " to grant papists a toleration, or to consent that 
they may freely exercise their religion, and profess their 
faith and doctrines, was a grievous sin," therefore, they 
prayed God " to make those in authority zealous, reso- 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 191 

lute, and courageous, against all popery, superstition, 
and idolatry," which terms they applied to the Catholic 
religion. 

Q. By whom was Charles guided ? 

A. By Thomas Went worth, Earl of Strafford, who advised 
him not to grant the graces, and promised to take the 
blame upon himself. 

Q. How was this man rewarded ? 

A. He was made lord-lieutenant of Ireland, and was 
thus enabled to render other vile services to his master, 
which he did by remitting him several hundred thousand 
pounds sterling, which he had extorted from the Irish 
parliament under the title of " Voluntary Contributions." 

Q. In what other way did he obtain money ? 

A. He sent the "Commission on Defective Titles" 
into Connaught, and the result was that several counties 
were declared forfeited to the crown. 

Q. How was this brought about ? 

A. The judges were bribed with four shillings in the 
pound, on the first year's rental of all estates, if a verdict 
were found for the king ; the juries were packed, bribed, 
and intimidated, and, if conscientious in their decisions, 
they were fined, pilloried, and even mutilated ; the people, 
meanwhile, were overawed by a strong military force which 
surrounded these courts of injustice. 

Q. Did these measures always secure a favorable ver- 
dict ? 

A. With few exceptions they did. On one occasion, in 
Galway, when the decision was against the government, 
the opposing lawyers were degraded, the juries fined four 
thousand pounds each, and the sheriff^, after being sen- 
tenced to pay one thousand pounds, was left to die in 
prison. 



192 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

Q, How could proprietors save their estates ? 

A. By redeeming them. 

Q. What new injustice did Strafford invent? 

A. He instituted a tribunal called " The Court of 
Wards," which had authority to take Catholic children, and 
bring them up in the Protestant religion. 

Q. What became of this tyrant ? 

A. After harassing Ireland for seven years, he was at 
length recalled to England, where he was soon afterwards 
impeached, and executed by order of the Puritan parlia- 
ment, for favoring the king, a.d. 1640. 

Q. What declaration was made by the Irish parlia- 
ment ? 

A. The parliament of Ireland, wTought into despera- 
tion by Strafford, at length resolved unanimously, in 1641, 
that the subjects of Ireland "were a free people, to be 
governed only by the common law of England, and the 
statutes made and established in the kingdom of Ireland, 
and according to the lawful customs used in the same." 

Q. What nobleman left his country to enjoy religious 
freedom in iVm erica ? 

A. Lord Baltimore, an Irish CathoHc peer, who estab- 
lished a settlement on the Potomac, in Maryland, Febru- 
ary 24th, A.D. 1634. Though Virginia had been settled 
by the Episcopalians, New York by the Dutch, and Mas- 
sachusetts by the Puritans, still the Catholic colony of 
Maryland was the only one, at that time, which granted 
religious liberty to all classes of Christians. 

Q. What Irishmen deserve honor for the part they took 
in preserving the history of their country ? 

A. Rev. Hugh Ward, of St. Anthony's, Louvain, who 
sent the Rev. Michael O'Cleary to Ireland, to collect ma- 
terials for a work on the Irish saints, a.d. 1635 ; Fergal 



-CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 193 

O'Gara, Prince of Cooloviun, and patron of Michael 
O'Cleary, chief of the P'our Masters. 

Q. Who were the Four Masters ? 

A. They were the compilers of an immense Work on 
the sacred and profane "Annals of the Ancient Kingdom 
of Ireland." Their names are Cucogry O'Cleary, Perfeasa 
O'Mulconry, Cucogry O'Duigenan, and Michael O'Cleary, 
1580-1643. 

Q. When did they complete their labors ? 

A. They began in the Convent of Donegal, on the 2 2d 
of January, 1632, and finished on the loth of August, 1636. 
In memory of them, their great work is commonly called 
the "Annals of the Four Masters." 




CHAPTER V. 

The Catholic Confederation^ A.jD. 1641 to 1660. 

HO were the Puritans ? 

A. The Puritans were a set of fanatics 
who rose to power in England and Scotland 
-in the reign of Charles I. They were fol- 
lowers of Calvin, and so intolerant that they enforced 
their views by penal laws and the free use of the sword. 

Q. How did their success affect Ireland ? 

A. Having obtained control of the government, their 
leaders declared that " they would not leave a priest in 
Ireland," and that " their conversion would be effected 
with the sword in one hand and the Bible in the other." 

Q. Were these threats made by those in authority ? 

A. Yes ; Lord Clarendon says that the Puritan leaders 
"had sworn to extirpate the whole Irish nation," and 
Carte affirms that " the lords-justices had set their hearts 
on the extirpation, not only of the mere Irish, but like- 
wise of all the English families that were Roman Catho- 
lics." 

Q. What measures did the Catholics take for their 
safety ? 

A. A gentleman named Roger Moore induced the 
native Catholics to unite for mutual defence. Accord- 
ingly, on the 23d of October, 1641, they anticipated their 
enemies, and took the field under Sir Phelim O'Neill. 

Q. What did O'Neill do on that day ? 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 19*5 

A. He declared by proclamation that the object of the 
Catholics was not hostility "to any subjects, either Eng- 
lish or Scotch, but only the defence and liberties of the 
Irish natives of this kingdom." 

Q. Was this declaration true ? 

A. It was, most undoubtedly-; but, as a set-off to the 
wholesale slaughter committed by themselves during the 
war, the Puritans afterwards pretended that a great 
slaughter of Englishmen* took place on the day of the 
rising. 

Q. Were there any grounds for this charge ? 

A. No ; there were none whatever, as is proved from 
the testimony of respectable Protestant historians, and 
from the contradictory and irreconcilable statements of 
those who afterwards made the charge. Besides, there 
is no mention of any such massacre in the despatches of 
the lords-lieutenants of the time, and these functionaries, 
certainly, would not miss the opportunity of exciting hate 
against the rebels, as they styled the Catholics, if the 
charges were true. 

Q. Where was the first massacre connnitted ? 

A. At Island Magee, where three thousand men, 
women, and children were put to death in one night by 
the Scotch garrison of Carrickfergus, which came upon 
them suddenly, November, 1641. 

Q. Who was the chief author of butcheries like this ? 
A. Sir Charles Coote, who declared that he would not 
spare even a babe, though " it were but a span long." 
This child-slayer kept his word faithfully ; but, as might 
be expected, he extended his hate to adults also. Thus, 
by his orders, nineteen persons were massacred near 
Dublin, and fifty-six drowned in the bay of that city. 
Q. What was the eftect of these atrocities ? v 



196 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

A. The Catholic lords .of the Pale met the native 
leaders at the hill of Crofty on December 8th, and, on 
being assured that their object was " to maintain the 
royal prerogative, and make the subjects of Ireland as 
free as those of England," they, too, joined the national 
cause. 

Q. How did the English parliament raise money ? 

A. It confiscated two million five hundred thousand 
acres of land from Catholics, and then, havmg sold them 
to Protestants for one million pounds, it was thus enabled 
to put a large army in the field. 

Q. Who took comuiand of the government forces ? 

A. James Butler, Duke of Ormond, one of the most 
crafty and treacherous characters that ever appeared in 
Irish history. 

Q. What orders did he receive for the conduct of the 
war? 

A. The Council at Dubhn Castle sent him the following 
instruction : — " It is resolved that it is fit that his lordship 
do endeavor with his majesty's forces to wound, kill, slay, 
and destroy, by all the ways and means he may, all the 
said rebels, their adherents and relievers ; and burn, waste, 
spoil, consume, destroy, and demoHsh all the places, towns, 
and houses where the said rebels are or have been re- 
lieved or harbored, and all the hay and corn there ; and 
kill and destroy all the men there inhabiting, capable to 
bear arms." Given at the Castle of Dublin, on the 23d 
of February, 1642. 

Q. What encouragement did the native leaders receive 
from the clergy ? 

A. On the 22d of March, 1642, the bishops of the 
Synod of Kells pronounced the war "just and lawful," 
and forbade all unnecessary violence. 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY, 197 

Q. What convention was held by the Catholics ? 

A. On the loth of May following, the bishops, lords, 
and commons of Ireland held a convention at Kilkenny, 
and organized a regular form of government, called " The 
Catholic Confederation." The supreme power was vested 
in a council composed of three archbishops, two bishops, 
four lords, and fifteen commoners. Lord Mountgarret was 
made president of this council. 

Q. To what did the Confederates bind themselves ? 

x\. They took an oath by which they bound themselves 
to maintain the fundamental laws of Ireland, the free ex- 
ercise of the Catholic religion, and never to accept any 
peace without the consent of the General Assembly of the 
Catholics of Ireland. 

Q. What accessions were made to the national army ? 

A. Hundreds of soldiers serving in PVance and Spain 
now hastened to the assistance of their struggling country. 
Thus, on July 6th, Colonel Owen Roe O'Neill landed in 
Donegal with one hundred officers and a supply of ammu- 
nition ; and in September, Colonel Thomas Preston 
arrived at Wexford with five hundred officers, a number 
of engineers, and a quantity of military stores. 

Q. Who were the prmcipal leaders on the Catholic 
side ? 

A. At a meeting of the General Assembly, held October 
23d, Owen Roe O'Neill was appointed to carry on the 
war in Ulster ; Thomas Preston, in Leinster ; Gerald 
Barry, in Munster ; and John Burke, in Connaught. 

Q. Give a summary of the war for the first two years. 

A. Besides obtaining possession of the greater portion 
of the island, the Confederates were successful . at Portles- 
ter, Kil worth, and Gal way ; but they were defeated at 
Kilrush., Liscarroll, Ballynakill, Rathconnell, and Ard^ 



198 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

more, where one hundred and forty persons were massa- 
cred in cold blood. 

Q. What put an end to hostilities for a time ? 

A. On the 13th of September, 1643, the Anglo-Irish 
majority of the Supreme Council signed a twelve months' 
truce with Ormond at Castlemartin, and, in gratitude for 
this supposed favor, they agreed to supply King Charles 
with thirty thousand pounds in money, and provisions to 
assist him against the Puritans, who were up in arms. 
By the diplomacy of Ormond the truce was prolonged foi 
half a year. 

Q. How did the Puritans act in the meanwhile ? 

A. They protested loudly against making peace with 
papists, and ordered Gen. Monroe to break the truce, 
which he did by taking Newry, and putting to death sixty 
men, eighteen women, and two ecclesiastics. After this 
he enriched his own country by the immense booty he 
sent from Antrim to Scotland, one item alone being nine 
thousand head of cattle. 

Q. Did the Catholics desire peace ? 

A. The native Irish did not, but those of English or 
Anglo-Norman descent desired ardently to be reconciled 
with their kin. Hence, by their influence, deputies were 
sent to the king to inform him that his dutiful Catholic 
subjects would lay down their arms if the penal laws were 
repealed. Charles would probably have promised this, 
had he not feared the Puritans, who demanded that all 
these enactments be strictly enforced. 

Q. What order did the English parliament issue to its 
officers carrying on the war ? 

A. It issued the " No Quarter Act," which is as follows : 
" The lords and commons, assembled in the parliament 
of England, do declare that no quarter shall be given to 



CA TE CHISM OF IRISH HIS TOR Y, 1 9 9 

any Irishman, or to any papist born in Ireland, which shall 
be taken in hostility against the parliament, either upon 
sea, or within the kingdom or dominion of Wales ; and, 
therefore, do order that the lord-general, the lord-admi- 
ral, and all other officers and commanders, both by sea 
and land, shall except all Irishmen and all papists born in 
Ireland, out of all capitulation hereafter to be made with 
the enemy, and shall, upon the taking of every such Irish- 
man and papist born in Ireland, as aforesaid, forthwith put 
every such person to death." a.d. 1644. 

Q. Did this infamous order open the eyes of the Catho- 
lics ? 

A. No ; despite this bloody edict of parliament, Or- 
n^ond, the king's representative, still managed to mis- 
lead the majority of the Confederates by his promises. 

Q. Were any Irish in the service of the king ? 

A. Yes ; at this time fifteen hundred of them were serv- 
ing in Scotland, where they won a succession of victories 
over the king's enemies. 

Q. Were the Confederates in Ireland equally fortu- 
nate ? 

A. No ; the strong fort of Duncannon was surrendered 
to the Puritans, by an Englishman, and the town of Sligo 
was carried by assault, October 26th, 1645. Despite 
these losses, however, the Catliolics were much encour- 
aged by the arrival of John Baptist Rinuccini, Archbishop 
of Fermo, who landed in Munster as nuncio of Innocent 
X,, with a supply of arms and money. 

Q. What took place within the next few months ? 

A. There arose two parties in the Supreme Council — 
the Anglo-Irish, who wished to deal gently with the govern- 
ment ; and the native Irish, headed by the nuncio, who 
advocated the vigorous prosecution of the war. The 



200 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

former had been deceived by Ormond ; but, nevertheless, 
Hke penitent children, they longed for a reconciliation. 
When, therefore, the king sent them Herbert, Earl of 
Glamorgan, they concluded a treaty with him which 
secured to them equal rights, civil and religious, March 
28th, 1646. Then to show their loyalty, they voted six 
thousand troops to assist Charles against his enemies; 
but to their astonishment, when the treaty was made pub- 
lic, the king disavowed it. 

Q. What misfortune overtook the faithless Charles ? 

A. His subjects rose in rebellion, and defeated his 
troops in several battles; at last he was forced to seek 
refuge among the Scotch, who sold him to his own parlia- 
ment for the sum of four hundred thousand pounds. 

Q. Which was the greatest battle fought during this 
war ? 

A. That of Benburb, where Owen Roe O'Neill, with live 
thousand native troops, defeated General Monroe, at the 
head of eight thousand Puritans. In this battle the loss 
on the Catholic side was but seventy killed and two hun- 
dred wounded, whereas on that of the enemy it was three 
thousand two hundred and forty-three, with several pris- 
oners, thirty-two standards, and an immense quantity of 
guns, tents, ammunition, etc., June 4th, 1646. 

Q. Did the Confederates continue to prosper ? 

A. They did for a time ; but, at length, the rival par- 
ties in the Supreme Council came to an open rupture, 
and to this alone must be attributed their subsequent 
failure at Dublin and elsewhere. Then, owing to the 
influence of the Anglo-Catholics, the war languished for 
two years, when Rinuccini left the country in disgust, 
February, 1649. Six months later, the Puritans defeated 
Ormond at Rathmines, and then Oliver Cromwell, the 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 201 

famous Puritan general, landed at Dublin with fourteen 
thousand men, to put an end to the struggle. 

Q. For what is Cromwell's career in Ireland noted ? 

A. It is remarkable for the amount of blood which he 
shed in a few months. Thus, at Drogheda, although 
quarter had been promised, the work of slaughter lasted 
five days, and the three thousand men comprising the 
garrison were put to the sword, together with one thou- 
sand unresisting victims, who had sought refuge in the 
great church. The few who escaped death were sent as 
slaves to the Barbadoes, September nth. At Wexford 
the enemy broke into the town during a truce, and " no 
distinction," says Lingard, "was made between the de- 
fenceless inhabitants and the armed soldiers ; nor could 
the shrieks of three hundred females, who had gathered 
round the great cross, preserve them from the swords of 
these ruthless barbarians." By Cromwell himself the 
number slaughtered here is put down at two thousand, 
including men, women, and children, October i6th. 

Q. Did parliament sanction the conduct of Cromwell ? 

A. Yes : on the 2d of October it declared " that the 
house doth approve of the execution at Drogheda, both as 
an act of justice to them and mercy to others who may 
be warned by it.'- 

Q. What great leader did the Irish lose at this crisis ? 

A. Owen Roe O'Neill, who was suddenly struck down 
by death at Clough Oughter Castle, as he was marching 
to meet Cromwell ; and thus perished the only hope of 
his country, a victim, it is supposed, to the fear and mal- 
ice of his enemies, November 6th, 1645. 

Q. Did the Irish endeavor to protract the struggle ? 

A. Yes ; after Charles I. had been beheaded by his 
subjects in 1649, ^^ Royalists proclaimed the Prince of 
9" 



202 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

Wales king, under the title of Charles 11. The Irish 
leaders, however, withdrew their support from him for 
having violated his promises to them, when he found it 
necessary to court the favor of their Scotch enemies, and, 
as a last resource, they invited the Duke of Loraine to 
Ireland as protector ; but Ormond and Prince Charles 
found means to defeat this new move. 

Q. What acts of tyranny were now committed ? 

A. Cromwell was installed as lord-protector in 1653, 
whereupon he confiscated three million acres of land in 
Ireland, and drove the native owners into Connaught, 
where they were pent up in bondage for seven years, 
May ist, 1654. "All of them who after that time should 
be found in any other part of the kingdoni, man, woman, 
or child, might be killed by anybody who saw or met 
them." The total amount of land confiscated from the 
Catholics under the Commonwealth was seven million 
seven hundred and eight thousand two hundred and 
thirty-seven acres. 

Q. What other events are worthy of note ? 

A. Forty thousand fighting men were forced to seek 
shelter in foreign lands ; and at least sixty thousand boys 
and girls, men and women, were sent as slaves to Vir- 
ginia, New England, and the West India Islands, a.d. 
1655. In this year also regular posts were first estab- 
lished in Ireland. 

Q. When did Cromwell die ? 

A. Cromwell died in 1658, after having put to death 
three bishops, three hundred priests, and many thousands 
of people, besides those slain in battle. 

Q. Mention a few of those who were especially con- 
spicuous during this epoch. 

A. Among the Puritans were Ireton, Jones, and 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 203 

O'Brien or Inchiquin, "the church-burner;" and on the 
side of the CathoHcs, Sir Richard Belling, David Rothe, 
Bishop of Ossory, Heber McMahon, Bishop of Clogher, 
Rev. Geoffry Keating, the historian, and Father Luke 
Warding, one of the most learned men of his age. 




CHAPTER VI. 

Protestant Ascendajtcy, A.D. 1660 to 1688. 

HAT is meant by " the Restoration " ? 

A. This term impHes that the Stuart line 
was restored to the throne in the person of 
Charles H., a.d. 1660, 

Q, What was the poHc}' of the new king ? 

A. He sought to promote Protestant interests by every 
means in his power. 

Q. How did he treat the Puritans, who had beheaded 
his father, and fought against himself? 

A. In England they received little favor ; but in Ire- 
land, strange to say, ihey were entrusted with the govern- 
ment, and confirmed in the possession of the lands they 
had seized, in order, it was pretended, that they might 
maintain Protestant ascendency in the country. 

Q. Who was the author of this policy ? 

A. The chancellor, Edward Hyde, Earl of Clarendon. 

Q. Was Charles II. under obligations to the Irish ? 

A. Yes; and his treatment of them was the more base, 
because, with few exceptions, they had alvvays been loyal 
to him, and had died by thousands in the service of his 
father. 

Q. Whom did he make lord-lieutenant ? 

A. Ormond, the wily enemy of the Catholics. 

Q. What occurred under his administration ? 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 205 

A. A parliament was held in Ireland for' the first time 
in twenty years ; but the members were chiefly adventur- 
ers who had acquired estates from Cromwell. After 
securing the good-will of Ormond by a grant of thirty thou- 
sand pounds, they proceeded to legislate in their own favor, 
concerning the lands confiscated from the Catholics, a.d. 
1661. 

Q. Did the Catholics try to recover their estates ? 

A. Yes ; under the leadership of such men as Sir 
Richard Nagle, Sir Nicholas Plunket, Sir Richard Talbot, 
and the Earl of Kildare, they sought to obtain their just 
rights; but the king, the deputy, and the Puritan majority 
were against them, and, of course, they did not succeed. 

Q. How did parhament ma.sk its injustice ? 

A. It passed a " Bill of Settlement," which provided 
that a special tribunal should decide all land claims ; but 
after settling eight hundred cases, the tribunal was abol- 
ished, leaving three thousand cases undecided, because 
the claims of the Catholics proved too strong, a.d. 1663. 

Q. How did the Protestants prevent these claims from 
being paid ? 

A. They formed associations for mutual protection, 
and they even conspired to seize Dublin Castle, and the 
person of the lord-lieutenant, if their estates should be 
given back to the original Catholic owners. 

Q. In what new wickedness did the enemies of Ireland 
in the meanwhile engage ? 

A. In both England and Ireland the enemies of the 
Catholics were busy spreading reports of terrible popish 
plots, conspiracies, and intended massacres. 

Q. What action did the Catholics think it prudent to 
take ? 

A. In order to vindicate their loyalty and explain their 



2o6 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

relations with the Pope, some of them drew up a remon- 
strance ; but, as it was tainted with GaUicanism, it was 
condemned at Rome. 

Q. Mention an incident which shows the bigotry of the 
time ? 

A. Before the year 1666 tlie Irish annually exported 
into England sixty thousand beeves, and a proportionate 
number of sheep. In that year, however, in response to 
a petition, the English parliament passed a law to prevent 
the importation of Irish cattle, dead or alive, into Eng- 
land. Jast then, also, the great fire occurred in London, 
and the Irish sent fifteen thousand bullocks for the relief 
of the sufferers. But even this act of generosity was mis- 
interpreted, and, though they kept the beeves, the English 
authorities represented the act as an attempt to evade the 
cattle law. 

Q. Did Ormond confer any benefit on Ireland ? 

A. Yes ; he introduced several establishments for the 
manufacture of woollen goods. Though his motives were 
selfish, his enterprise was beneficial to the whole country, 
A.D. 1667. 
- Q. Did other industries also increase ? 

A. No; for the government discouraged enterprise on 
the pretence that it would interfere with English interests. 
They thought that if Ireland were permitted to prosper, 
she would soon become independent. 

Q. What was the result of this poHcy ? 

A. Trade and manufactures never developed to any ex- 
tent. Even the mines and the fisheries were shamefully 
neglected, though they were sources of untold wealth, and 
might have given employment to several hundred thou- 
sand men. 

Q. In what condition was religion ? 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 207 

A. During the last few years the Catholics had gained 
rapidly both in wealth and numbers. The ratio between 
them and the sectaries was as four to one in their favor. 
The government evidently feared for its army in Ireland, 
as we see from the following penalties : For hearing 
mass officers were fined ten pounds, troopers, five pounds, 
and private soldiers, four shillings. 

Q. What new plot was gotten up against the Catholics ? 

A. In 1678 great excitement was caused in England 
by Titus Gates, an infamous perjurer, who charged the 
Catholics of the kingdom with conspiring against the king 
and the Protestant religion. 

Q. How did these false charges affect Ireland ? 

A. Although knowing them to be innocent, Ormond at 
once disarmed the Catholics, closed their chapels, sup- 
pressed their schools, and commanded all priests to quit 
the island by a certain day. 

Q. What illustrious man was executed on false 
charges ? 

A. Oliver Plunket, Archbishop of Armagh. Under 
pretence that he was an enemy to the state, he was taken 
to England, where he was hanged, drawn, and quartered, 
A.D. i68t. 

Q. When did Charles II. die? 

A. On the 6th of February, a.d. 1685. * 



CHAPTER VII. 




The Civil War, A.D. 1685 to 1702. 

HO succeeded Charles II. on the throne ? 

A. His brother, James II., who was a 
Catholic. 

Q. What policy did the new king adopt ? 

A. He declared that all hi^ subjects should have equal 
rights in matters of religion. • 

Q. How did he excite the enmity of his people ? 

A. By his zeal in favor of his own religion. Though 
his motives were good, his measures were undoubtedly 
rash: 

Q. What did he do in Ireland ? 

A. He substituted for Ormond his own kinsman, the 
Earl of Clarendon, and admitted Catholics to the bench 
and to the privy council. Then, after the space of a 
year, Richard Talbot, Earl of Tyrconnell, who was a 
Catholic, was made lord-lieutenant. 

Q. What treason were the English Protestants guilty of? 

A. They offered the crown to William, Prince of 
Orange, who soon arrived in England with thirteen thou- 
sand men, to uphold Protestant supremacy, a.d. 1688. 

Q. How did James act in this emergency ? 

A. He fled to France without striking a blow in de- 
fence of his throne. In Ireland, however, his friends pre- 
pared to maintain his cause. 

Q. How did the English settlers in Ulster act ? 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 209 

A. They formed an association " for the maintenance 
of the Protestant reHgion, and the dependence of Ireland 
upon England." 

Q. Did James endeavor to regain his crown ? 

A. Yes ; he landed at Kinsale, in Ireland, with one 
thousand three hundred men, and was received with great 
rejoicings by the inhabitants, both Catholic and Protes- 
tant, March 12 th, 1689. 

Q. What was the first importan-t event after his re- 
turn ? 

A. In May, a parliament composed of Protestants and 
Catholics was held in Dublin. In the house of lords the 
Protestants predominated ; but in the commons the 
Catholics were in the majority. 

Q. What did this assembly do ? 

A. It granted the king twenty thousand pounds per 
month, repealed the iniquitous "Act of Settlement," and 
enacted that tithes should be paid by each person to the 
pastors of his own communion. Besides, it passed an 
" Act establishing Liberty of Conscience," and another 
declaring the judicial independence of Ireland. Thus, as 
Grattan says, '' Though papists, they were not slaves ; 
they wrung a constitution from King James before they 
accompanied him to the field." 

Q. What absurdity was James guilty of? 

A. He issued a proclamation doubling the value of 
money ; but the traders and merchants were not to be 
deluded, and they immediately doubled the prices of their 
goods. 

Q. Mention the first important occurrences in the 

field. 

A. The raw levies of the king were defeated with losSy 
by the disciplined and well-armed garrison of Enniskillen ; 



2IO CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

and at Derry, the rebels made so gallant a defence that 
the royalists were forced to retire, after losing six thou- 
sand men^ a.d. 1689. 

Q. What did the Prince of Orange do for his adherents 
in Ireland? 

A. He sent Gen. Kirke with six thousand men to their 
assistance, and afterwards an army of ten thousand men, 
under Marshal Schomberg, who signalized his arrival by 
taking Carrickfergus, ' which was gallantly defended by 
McCarthy More, August 28th. 

Q. How did King James show his incapacity ? 

A. At Dundalk he had an excellent chance to crush 
his enemies, suffering as they were from disease and fam- 
ine ; but his timid and vacillating spirit would not permit 
him to attack them, although his men were eager for battle. 

Q. What language did Marshal Rosen use to the king 
on this occasion ? 

A. "Sn-e," said he, "if your majesty had a hundred 
kingdoms, you would lose them." 

Q. How did the first campaign terminate ? 

A. It ended with the surrender of Charlemont, after 
desperate resistance by 0' Regan, who was knighted by 
James for his valor. 

Q. Did William take part in the war ? 

A. Yes ; he landed at Carrickfergus with additional 
troops on the 14th June, 1690. 

Q. What was the character of his army ? 

A. It was composed of a medley of many nations, 
English, Scotch, Dutch, Swiss, Prussians, Danes, Hugue- 
nots, and Anglo- Irish. Though excellent soldiers, and 
well trained, the Rev. Dr. Gorge, who was chaplain to 
Schomberg, describes them as profligate and licentious, 
and wallowing in vices too odious to mention. 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 211 

Q. What force had James ? 

A. They numbered twenty-three thousand, and were 
all Irish, except a body of French cavahy, for whom the 
king had exchanged forty-eight hundred native troops 
under Justin MacCarthy, Lord Mountcaskel. 

Q. Describe the battle that followed. 

A. On the 12th of July the two armies met at the 
Boyne. The Irish had but six cannon, while the enemy, 
forty-five thousand strong, had fifty, and four mortars. 
William led his hosts in person, while James, surrounded 
by his French allies, viewed the contest from the hill of 
Donore, two miles away. " With admirable courage and 
gallantry," says the Duke of Berwick, " the Irish troops 
charged the English ten times after they had crossed the 
river." Seeing the enemy give way, the miserable James 
cried aloud, "^ Spare, oh, spare my English subjects!" 

Q. How did the contest terminate ? 

A. After fighting for seven hours, the Irish left about 
one thousand men on the field. The enemy lost Schom- 
berg, and four hundred killed, besides the wounded. Be- 
fore the battle was fairly over, James fled to Dublin, 
where he attributed his ruin to the Irish, " who," he said, 
'' had run away." To this Lady Tyrconnell replied with 
spirit, " Your majesty, I see, has won the race." All 
now despised the coward, and the cry of his army was, 
" Change kings, and we will fight the battle over !" 

Q. What transpired after the battle of the Boyne ? 

A. Drogheda surrendered with, its garrison thirteen 
hundred strong ; Dublin and several other places fol- 
lowed this example, and then the terrified James fled to 
France, where he expired in merited obscurity, a.d. 1701. 

Q. Did the Irish continue the war ? 

A. Yes : the brave Col. Richard Grace repulsed the 



ZI2 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

enemy at Athlone ; the gallant Sarsfield blew their siege 
train to atoms at Ballanedy, and the garrison of Limerick, 
assisted by the women, forced William to retreat from 
before that city with a loss of eight hundred killed and 
twelve hundred wounded. 

Q. Where did the next operations take place ? 

A. At Cork, which yielded to the renowned Marlbor- 
ough after a brave defence, and at Athlone, which Gen- 
eral Ginckle besieged with twenty-five thousand men, on 
the i8th of June, 1691. 

Q. Describe this siege. 

A. During twelve days the incessant attacks of the 
enemy were met with heroic resistance. The great strug- 
gle, however, was at the town bridge, which the Irish 
endeavored to destroy. The enterprise was a desperate 
one. Nevertheless, a sergeant named Custume and ten 
companions volunteered to make the attempt, but they 
were all quickly slain. Then eleven others rushed forth 
to take their places, and of these but two returned alive 
after accomplishing their task. 

Q. What happened soon after this ? 

A. It is said that the enemy were retiring from the 
town, when, by chance, they heard that the place was 
intrusted to an ordinary garrison. Then, suddenly, they 
made another assault, and thus Athlone was taken, and 
its one thousand three hundred defenders were sacrificed 
in vain by .the vanity of St. Ruth, the French commander, 
who imagined that the enemy would not dare renew the 
attack. 

Q. Which was the greatest battle of the war ? 

A. That fought at Aughrim, in Gal way, on the 23d of 
July, 1691. 

Q. Whom did victory favor ? 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 213 

A. At first, the battle went in favor of the Irish, till, by 
some fatalit}^, St. Ruth, their general, was killed, and then 
victory gave place to confusion and rout. The enemy 
lost three thousand men, or about one thousand less than 
the vanquished. 

Q. Was Limerick again besieged? 

A. Yes ; and this time, after sixty days, for want of 
food and ammunition, the city agreed to surrender on con- 
ditions. 

Q. Did the garrison obtain conditions ? 

A. Yes ; a treaty was drawn up which provided, among 
other articles, that the garrison might march out with all 
their arms, guns, and baggage, " drums beating, matches 
lighting, colors flying," October 3d, 1691. The soldiers 
were then to be free to leave the country, or to serve in 
the English army. 

Q. What were the other provisions of the treaty ? 

A. It guaranteed free trade, liberty of worship, the 
right to bear arms, exception from the oath of supremacy, 
and the privilege of sitting in parliament. 

Q. What choice did the soldiers make ? 

A. About one thousand of them enlisted under Wil- 
liam ; two thousand emigrated to foreign countries, and 
twelve thousand two hundred entered the -service of 
France, thus increasing the number of Irish soldiers in 
that country to nineteen thousand and fifty-nine. 

Qi Who were the most noted leaders of their troops ? 

A. Major-General Patrick Sarsfield, Earl of Eucan, 
1693 ; and Lieutenant-General Justin MacCarthy, Lord 
Mountcaskel, 1694. 

Q. What course did William pursue after the war ? 

A. He confiscated one million sixty thousand seven 
hundred and ninety-two acres of land from the Irish, and 



214 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

discouraged their woollen trade, at the prayer of parlia- 
ment, because, forsooth, it interfered with the interests of 
England. 

Q. Did the English observe the treaty of Limerick ? 

A. jSTo ; they violated almost every one of its articles. 
Thus in 1792 they passed an act to disarm the Catholics ; 
another, to banish all priests and prelates ; and a third, to 
prevent parents from educating their children at home or 
abroad, and to render them incapable of being guardians 
of any child whatever. Finally, in 1 795, the English par- 
liament struck out several articles altogether from the 
treaty. 

Q. What penal laws were passed ? 

A. In the seventh year of William III. it was enacted 
that no papist could own a horse worth more than five 
pounds ; no Protestant could instruct any papist ; and no 
papist should be permitted to go out of Ireland to receive 
instruction. 

Q. What eminent man wrote in defence of Ireland? 

A. WiUiam Molyneux, author of the " Case of Ireland 
Stated," 1 6 14-1699. This work contained some plain 
truths, and the English parliament ordered it to be burned 
by the common hangman. 



M 


1 



CHAPTER VIII. 

Penal Laws, A.D. 1702 to 1740. 

NDER what sovereign, did Ireland suffer most 
from wicked and unchristian laws ? 

A. Under Anne Stuart, who succeeded 
William, a.d. 1702. 

Q. What does Edmund Burke say of the code known 
as the penal laws? 

A. "It had," said he, "a vicious perfection — it was a 
complete system — full of coherence and consistency ; well 
digested and well disposed in all its parts. It was a ma- 
chine of wise and elaborate contrivance, and as well fitted 
for the oppression, impoverishment and degradation of 
the people, and the debasement in them of human nature 
itself, as ever proceeded from the perverted ingenuity of 
man.'' 

Q. How does Montesquieu brand these same laws ? 

A. "This horrid code," says he, "was conceived by 
devils, written in human gore, and registered in hell." 

Q. Give a few extracts from them. 

A. In the first year of Queen Anne a bill was passed 
'' for discouraging the further growth of popery." Among 
other clauses it provided that if a Catholic child conformed 
to the Protestant religion, his father should be unable to 
sell or mortgage his estate, or dispose of any portion of 



2 1 6 . GATE CHISM OF IRISH HIS TOR Y. 

it by will. All was reserved for the young convert, to 
the exclusion of other heirs. By this act, also, no Catholic 
could be guardian to his own child ; and if such child, 
however young, pretended to be a Protestant, it was 
taken from its parents, and assigned to the care of the 
nearest Protestant relation. 

Q. What law was enacted in the second year of Anne ? 

A. In this year it was decreed that any priest coming 
to Ireland, and performing religious services, should be 
hanged. 

Q. How were Catholics hampered in regard to prop- 
erty ? 

A. They were incapable of purchasing manors, tene- 
ments, etc., or of receiving rents or profits from the same, 
or of holding a lease for Hfe interest, or any other lease 
whatever, for any term exceednig thirty-one years. More- 
over, if any CathoHc held a farm producing greater net 
profit than one-third of the amount of the rent, his right 
to such ceased immediately, and passed to the first Prot- 
estant who discovered the rate of profit. 

Q. Were Catholics allowed to vote or to hold office ? 

A. As a quaHfication for office and for voting at elec- 
tions, they should first take an oath renouncing the Pope, 
and another against the Blessed Sacrament. 

Q. Did the Catholics protest against these laws ? 

A. Yes ; Counsellor Malone, Sir Theobold Butler, and 
Sir Stephen Rice, three of their ablest men, petitioned 
against them in vain. 

Q. How did the government cause the penal laws to 
be enforced ? 

A. In 1705 the Irish commons resolved that "inform- 
ing against papists was an honorable service to the gov- 
ernment," and that magistrates and others who failed to 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 217 

execute the laws " were betrayers of the Uberties of the 
kmgdoni." 

Q, Were any other penal laws enacted under Anne ? 

A. Yes ; in 1709 another act was passed declarmg thai 
no Catholic could hold an annuity for life, and that the 
child of a Catholic, on becoming a Protestant, should at 
once receive an annuity from the father. 

Q. What other enactments v/ere passed in the same 
spirit ? 

A. Catholics were forbidden to teach ; priests were 
offered a bribe of thirty pounds sterling a year to become 
Protestants ; rewards were given for the discovery of 
prelates, priests, and teachers ; and priests were ordered 
to take the oath of objurgation, under penalty of death 
for treason. 

Q. What punishment was inflicted on those who re- 
fused to take the oath ? 

A. They were put to death, hanged, drawn, and quar- 
tered, in the following manner : After hanging till half 
dead, the victim was cut down and disembowelled while 
still alive. His entrails were burned before his face, and 
his head was then chopped off, and his body, being cut 
into quarters, was exposed in some' public place as a 
warning to others. 

Q. Did many priests suffer death ? 

A. Yes ; the large rewards offered by the government 
gave existence to an infamous class called priest -hunters^ 
who supplied the gallows and the knife with many a 
victmi. 

Q. Did the condition of the Catholics improve in the 
next reign ? 

A. Queen Anne died in 1714, andwas succeeded by 
George I., but the condition of the Catholics remained 
10 



2i8 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

the same. They still continued to be spoken of as the 
''common enemy,'' and those who sympathized with them 
were looked upon as enemies of the state. 

Q, Were any new penal laws enacted ? 

A. Yes ; any Catholic clergyman marrying a Protestant 
to a Catholic was to be hanged. 

Q. What did the English parliament do in this reign ? 

A. It usurped the judicial authority of the Irish legisla- 
ture, and declared that it had full power and authority to 
make laws and statutes for the kingdom of Ireland. 

Q. Did it enforce this claim. ? 

A. It was enabled to do so till the year 1782, when the 
Irish parliament once more asserted its rights. 

Q. For what else is this reign remarkable ? 

A. It is noted for the revival and growth of a patriotic 
national spirit among the people, and for the beginning 
of emigration to the shores of the New World. 

Q. Did many emigrate to America at this early day ? 

A. Yes ; they went to escape the penal laws and to 
otherwise better their condition. Thus, in a single year, 
as many as five thousand six hundred Irish emigrants, 
landed at the port of Philadelphia alone, a.d. 1729, and 
during the next ten years ihey formed a majority of the 
settlers in Georgia, and in North and South Carolina. 

Q. What other effect had the penal laws ? 

A. They caused thousands of young men to flee from 
Ireland, and join their countrymen in the service of 
France, Spain, Austria, and other European nations. 

Q. Did these exiles meet with a cordial reception ? . 

A. Ye5 ; they were everywhere eagerly welcomed. 
Louis XIV. spoke of them as " my brave Irish," and 
Francis I. of Germany wrote concerning them : " The 
more Irish officers in the Austrian army the better; our 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 219 

troops will always be disciplined ; an Irish coward is an 
uncommon character ; and what the natives of Ireland 
even dislike from principle they generally perform through 
a desire of glory." 

Q. Did they merit this praise ? 

A. Yes ; this is proved by the fact that when Maria 
Theresa instituted fifty crosses of the Legion of Honor, 
forty-six of them were awarded to Irish officers on ac- 
count of their bravery and military skill. 

Q. In what battles did the Irish distinguish them- 
selves ? 

A. At Landen in Flanders, and at Massiglia in Savoy, 
1693; atCremona, in Italy, 1702 ; atRamilles, in Flanders, 
1 706 ; and at Almanza, in Spain, 1 707 ; at Viletry, in Italy, 
1 713, and at Oran, in Sicily, 1733. 

Q. When did George I. die ? 

A. In 1627, when he was succeeded by George II. 

Q. Mention some of the laws enacted during the new 
reign. 

A. By a law of the 7th of George II. any barrister or 
attorney marrying a Catholic was to be discarded. By 
another in his 9th, papists residing in Ireland should 
make good to Protestants all losses sustained by the 
privateers of any Catholic king ravaging the coasts of 
Ireland; and in his 29th, barristers and attorneys were 
obHged to waive their privileges and betray theii* clients, 
if the latter were papists. 

Q. Who rendered signal service to Ireland at this 
time? 

A. The celebrated Jonathan Swift, Protestant Dean 
of St. Patrick's Cathedral, Dublin, 1667-1745. During 
eighteen years (i 724-1 742) this able man made himself 
the champion of his countrymen against the tyranny and 



220 ^ CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

exactions of the government, and to him is due the honor 
of preventing the establishment of a national bank, and 
the introduction of a debased copper coinage into the 
country. 

Q. What was the Agistment Act ? 

A. This was a law passed in 1735, by which pastures 
were exempted from paying taxes to the Protestanr 
clergy, who henceforth could claim tithes only from vil 
lage and meadow lands. 

Q. Mention a few of the eminent men of this epoch. 

A. George Farquhar, comic writer, 1678-1708 ; Thomas 
Parnell, who wrote The Hermit^ 1679-1718 ; Count An- 
thony de Hamilton, author of Memoir es de Gr amnionic 
1646-1720; Sir Richard Steele, essayist, 1675-1729; 
Carolan, the last minstrel, 1670-1731 ; and John Aberne- 
thy, divine, 1 680-1 740. Among the military exiles the 
most noted were : Lieutenant-General Count Arthur 
Dillon, in France, 1 733 ; and Lieutenant-General Pierce 
Butler, Third Viscount Galmoy, 1652-1740. 




CHAPTER IX. 

At Home and Abroad^ A.D. 1740 to 1772. 

HO continued the work of Swift? 

A. Anthony Malone and Charles Lucas, 

17^3, 1771- 

Q. Who was lord-lieutenant at this time ? 

A. Philip Dormer Stanhope, the famous Earl of Ches- 
terfield. 

Q. Was he a successful viceroy ? 

A. Yes ; he discouraged informers, and won popularity 
by mitigating the rigors of the penal code as much as 
possible. 

Q. Did the government enact new penal laws? 

A. Yes ; one dissolving marriages between Protestants 
and Catholics, and another inflicting death on any priest 
who should marry together two Protestants, or a Catholic 
to a Protestant. 

Q. What glory was won by the Irish in the service of 
France ? 

A. They saved the French army from the English, and 
turned defeat into a glorious victory at Fontenoy, May 
nth, 1745. 

Q. Were there many Irishmen in the armies of Eu- 
rope ? 

A. Yes ; but there were more in the service of France 
than in that of any other nation. From researches made 
in the French war office, it has been ascertained that 



22 2 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY, 

from the arrival of the Irish troops in Fran.ce in 1691, to 
1745, ^^ y^^i' ^^ th^ battle of Fontenoy, four hundred and 
fifty thousand Irishmen died in the service of France ; 
and between this period and the French revolution, thirty 
thousand more sacrificed their lives for the interests of the 
same country. 

Q. What does Fornman say of these troops? 

A. "Wherever they served," says he, " they alwa3's had 
the good fortune to distinguish themselves ; and it may 
be said to their eternal honor, that from the time they 
entered the service of France, they never had the least 
blot on their escutcheon." 

Q. What was the sum total of Irish emigration to 
France ? 

A. It amounted to about one million persons. 

Q. Mention some of the Irish soldiers that won distinc- 
tion abroad ? 

A. Lieutenant-General, Matthew Cooke, 1740; Major- 
General William O'Shaughnessy, 1744; Field Marshal 
Count Peter Lacy of Russia. 1678, 1751 ; Major-Gen- 
eral Richard Francis Talbot, Thhd Earl of Tyrconnell, 
and Ambassador from France to Prussia, 17 10-1752; 
Major-General John Nugent, Fifth Earl of Westmeath, 
1754; Lieutenant-General Daniel O'Connor of Austria, 
1664-1756 ; and Lieutenant-General Charles O'Brien, 
Sixth Lord Clare, Ninth Earl of Thomond, and Marshal 
of France, 1761. The most famous of all, however, was 
a man of Irish descent. Count Thomas Arthur Lally, who 
commanded the French army in India, 1698-1766. 

Q. What did the English government do after the battle 
of Fontenoy ? 

A. It decreed the penalty of death against any Irish- 
man who should enlist in the service of France. 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 223 

Q. What other reverse did the English suffer ? 

A. They were defeated at Wandiwash by the French 
under General MacGeoghegan, a.d. 1759. 

Q. Who was the pest of Ireland at this time ? 

A. The Protestant primate, Dr. Stone, an Englishman, 
who sought to proselytize Catholic children by means of 
the " Charter Schools " which he established. 

Q. What new measure was contemplated by the govern- 
ment ? 

A. The destruction of the Irish parliament, by uniting 
it with that of England. 

Q. Did this project succeed ? 

A. Not then- the citizens of Dublin prevented it for 
a time by forcing the members of their parliament to 
take an oath against such a measure. 

Q. Give an instance illustrating the life and fate of 
many an Irish refugee who sought to serve his native 
land ? 

A. In 1760 Carrickfergus was surprised by a small 
French force under Commodore Thurot, whose real 
name was O'Farrell. like many more of his countrymen 
at that time, this brave leader sought preferment in 
France, only for the sake of Ireland, and, like them, he 
was fated to die without accomplishing his designs. 

Q. What else occurred in the same year ? 

A. George III., the typical English king, succeeded to 
the throne on the death of his father. 

Q. What disturbances took place in the new reign ? 

A. About the year 1763 the tyranny of the landlords 
and of the government drove the peasantry in parts of 
Munster to form secret oath-bound associations, and 
their example was soon followed throughout the rest of 
Ireland. Many outrages and crimes were committed 



2 24 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

by them, and the " Whiteboys," the "Defenders," the 
"Rightboys," the "Hearts of Steel," the "Peep o' Day 
Boys," etc., are still a tradition among the people. 

Q. What change was made in the constitution of par- 
liament ? 

A. Throu2:h the efforts of Charles Lucas, a law was 
passed, in 1767, which limited the duration of parliament 
to eight years. Up to this time, when once elected, the 
members held office during the lifetime of the king. 

Q. What eminent leader now headed the popular 
party ? 

A. Henry Flood the celebrated orator and statesman. 

Q. Mention some of the other prominent men. 

A. Abbe MacGeoghegan, historian, 1698-1750 ; Sir 
Hans Sloan, physician and naturaUst, 1660-1752 ; George 
Berkeley, philosopher and divine, 1684-1753; Thomas 
Sheridan, lexicographer, 1 724-1 766; James Quinn, the 
great personator of " Falstaff," 1693-1766; Laurence 
Sterne, novehst and miscellaneous writer, 17 13-1768; 
and Charles MackUn, the tragedian, of whose personation 
of Shylock, Alexander Pope wrote : 

*« This is the Jew 

That Shakspeare drew." — A.D. 1690-1770. 



CHAPTER X. 



TJie Era of Independence^ A.D. 1772 to 1795. 




HAT was the state of Ireland at the beginning 
of this epoch ? 

A. It was in the worst possible condition, 
and thousands of her children departed for 
foreign lands every year to escape the tyranny of the 
penal laws. Thus, at Philadelphia alone, there arrived 
three thousand -five hundred refugees within the space 
of a month, A.D. 1773. 

Q. What was taking place in America ? 

A. The American colonists were at variance with the 
English government, which sought to tax them without 
their consent. At length, after useless protests, they 
took up arms in defence of their rights. 

Q. How did the Irish in the English and Irish parlia- 
ments act in this emergency ? 

A. They encouraged the Americans to resist, " If 
the Americans yield," cried Barre, " they are cowards." 
" The war is fruitless, hopeless, and unnatural," exclaimed 
Edmund Burke in the interest of the insurgents. Such 
also were the sentiments of Grattan, Sheridan, and a host 
of eminent Irishmen. 

Q. What did the Irish house of commons do ? 

A. It refused to send troops to America. '' If we 
give our consent," cried Ponsonby, '• we shall take part 
against America contrary to justice, to prudence, and hu- 



226 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY, 

manity." "The war is unjust," said others, " and if men 
must be sent to America, send the foreign mercenaries, 
not the brave sons of Ireland." 

Q. Did the government send the mercenaries ? 

A. Yes ; it hired twenty-nine thousand one hundred 
and sixty-six Hessians to light against the Americans, 
and afterwards, in denying the Irish their rights, it gave 
as a reason, that sixteen tliousand of them had fought on 
the side of the Americans. 

Q. Was this true ? 

A. Yes ; about that nuuiber of Irish soldiers were in 
the American army from North Carolina, South Carolina, 
Georgia, Maryland, New Hampshire, and Pennsylvania. 
The last State furnished the " Irish Brigade," known as 
the " Pennsylvania Line," 

Q. What did the American congress do in 1776 ? 

A. It declared that the colonies were free and indepen- 
dent of Great Britain. 

Q. How many Irishmen were members of this congress 
and signers of this declaration ? 

A. There were nine besides Charles Thompson, who 
was secretary to the Congress. Their names are George 
Read, Thomas Lynch, George Taylor, James Wilson, 
Edward Rutledge, Matthew Thornton, James Suiith, 
Thomas McKean, and Charles Carroll of Carrollton. 

Q. How did the Irish of Philadelphia assist the Conti- 
nental army ? 

A. When Washington's army was suffering from hunger 
and want at Valley Forge, several Irish firms at Philadel- 
phia subscribed four hundred and forty-two thousand five 
hundred dollars for its relief. 

Q. What leaders in the Revolution were Irish ? 

A. Montgomery, Moylan, SulUvan, Wayne, Clinton, 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 227 

Stark, Knox, Hand, Dillon, Riitledge, O'Brien, Patrick 
Henry, and Commodore John Barry, the " Father of the 
American Navy." 

Q. Mention some others who are less known. 

A. Colonels Butler, Clinton, Fitzgerald, Gordan, 
Divine, Kennedy, McAllister, Nixon, Shea, Stewart, 
Thompson, and many others. Col. Nixon first read the 
Declaration of Independence to the people. 

Q. What influence did the war have on Ireland ? 

A. After the surrender of General Burgoyne to the 
Americans at Saratoga, the English government thought 
it prudent to appease the Catholics by relaxing the penal 
laws. Hence, in 1778, the Irish parliament enacted that 
henceforth Catholics might loan money on mortgage, or 
lease lands for any period not exceeding a thousand years. 

Q. State another result brought about indirectly by the 
war. 

A. Fearing a French invasion, the people of Belfast re- 
quested the government to send them a garrison ; owing, 
however, to the American war, no troops could be spared 
just then. Therefore the citizens formed military compa- 
nies of their own, and their example was speedily followed 
by other towns, so that in a few months Ireland had a 
national army eighty-eight thousand strong. 

Q. Who caused these volunteers to be recognized by 
the state ? 

A. Flood, Perry, Grattan, and Charlemont, who were 
prominent members of the Irish parliament. 

Q. What was the next move? 

A. Henry Grattan inspired parliament to demand " free 
trade" for Ireland, and, after much opposition, the gov- 
ernment granted it to escape revolution, a.d. 1780. 

Q. What other step did Grattan take ? 



2 28 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

A. On the 19th of April, 1780, he rose in parliament 
and moved that the ''king, lords, and commons of Ire- 
land are the only powers competent to enact laws to bind 
Ireland." This resolution was substantially carried, though 
in another form. 

Q. What course did the volunteers pursue ? 

A. They assembled in convention at Dungannon^ Cork, 
and Dublin, and by their determined tone greatly encour- 
aged the patriots in parliament. 

Q. Did Grattan follow up these measures ? 

A. Yes ; he drew up resolutions establishing the judi- 
cial and legislative independence of Ireland, and, owing 
to his eloquence and devotion, they were approved by 
parliament and became laws on receiving the sanction of 
the king, May 27th, 1782. 

Q. Give the words of the patriot on the occasion of this 
success, 

A. "I found Ireland on her knees ; I watched over her 
with paternal solicitude ; I have traced her progress from 
injury to arms, and from arms to liberty. Spirit of Swift ! 
Spirit of Molyneux ! your genius has prevailed ! Ireland 
is now a nation ! In that new character I hail her ! and, 
bowing to her august presence, I say, Esto pei^petiia I " 

Q. What were the first acts of the free parliament ? 

A. In gratitude to Grattan, parliament voted him 
fifty thousand pounds ; and as a pledge of its loyalty to 
the crown, it granted the king twice that sum to raise sea- 
men for the service of England. 

Q. For what else is the year 1782 noted ? 

A. In that year more penal laws were repealed, and 
Catholics obtained . the same rights as Protestants in re- 
gard to the holding of property. 

•-Q. VVhat act did the English parliament pass ? 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 229 

A. In deference to a sentiment raised in Ireland by 
Henry Flood, the English parliament passed the "Act of 
Renunciation," conceding " the exclusive rights of the 
parliament and courts of Ireland in matters of legislature 
and judicature," a.d. 1783. 

Q. Was Ireland prosperous under its free parliament ? 

A. Yes ; few countries ever made such progress within 
so short a time. Peace reigned, trade revived, the reve- 
nue increased, various industries were encouraged, the 
Bank of Ireland was established, and the future promised 
\vell, but for one old-time abuse. 

Q. What was this abuse ? 

A. The boroughs or districts sending members to par- 
liament were often very small, and wholly under the in- 
fluence of wealthy individuals, who disregarded the inter- 
ests of the people. Finally, two-thirds of the members 
were therefore beyond the control of the people, and the 
result was that their interests were often betrayed by their 
supposed representatives. 

Q. Who endeavored to remedy this crying evil ? 

A. Henry Flood introduced a bill for that purpose, but 
was defeated by the influence of the court, always on the 
side of corruption. 

Q. Give the name and character of the prime minister 
of England ? 

A. William Pitt, Earl of Cliatham, a most insidious 
enemy of Ireland, who sought by every means to deprive 
her of her liberty and parliament. 

Q. What Irishmen in America took part at this time in 
forming the Constitution of the United States ? 

A. They were six in number, namely, George Read, 
James Wilson, John Rutledge, Pierce Butler, Daniel Car- 
roll, and Thomas Fitzsimons. 



230 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

Q. When was the elective franchise conceded to the 
Catholics of Ireland ? 

A. In 1793, mainly through the efforts of John Keogh, 
who was himself a Catholic. 

Q. What other measures did parliament enact ? 

A. It passed an "Arms Act" against the use and im- 
portation of arms, and a " Convention Act" against hold- 
ing assemblies purporting to represent the people. 

Q. What was the result of these narrow measures ? 

A. The surviving volunteer corps were forced to dis- 
band. 

Q. What institution of learning was now established ? 

A. The College of Maynooth, for ecclesiastical students, 
A.D. 1795. 

Q. What noted men died meanwhile ? 

A. Oliver Goldsmith, poet, historian, etc., 1728-1774; 
Father Edmund Sheehy, hanged in 1776; Hugh Kelly, 
miscellaneous writer, 1 739-1 777; Henry Brooke, poet, 
1 706-1 783 ; George Barrett, landscape artist, and founder 
of the Royal Academy of England, 1784; Henry Flood, 
orator and statesman, 1 732-1 791 ; and General Alexander 
O'Reilly, of Spain, 1735-1794- 




CHAPTER XI. 

Tyranny afid Rebellion, A.D. i795 ^o 1820. 

HAT political organization arose in Ireland at 
the close of the eighteenth century ? 

A. The Society of United Irishmen, found- 
ed at Belfast by Theobald Wolfe Tone in Oc- 
tober, 1 791. 

Q. Who were its original leaders ? 
A. Lord Edward Fitzgerald, James Napper Tandy, 
Archibald Hamilton Rowan, Arthur O'Connor, Dr. Mc- 
Nevin, and the two brothers Henry and John Sheares, 
with some others. _ 

Q. What was the object of the society ? 
A. Its members held that English influence threatened 
Irish liberty ; that only a reformed parliament would save 
the country ; and that such reform, to be just, should em- 
brace all religious denominations. Hence, their object 
was to secure the lawful rights and liberties of all Irish- 
men. 

Q. What oath did they take ? 

A. They bound themselves to forward a brotherhood 
of affection, an identity of interests, a community of 
rights, and a union of power among Irishmen of all reli- 
gious persuasions. 

Q. Of what religion were the leaders of the United 

Irishmen ? 

A. Like those who won parhamentary independence m 



232 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

1782, they were Protestants; but from their souls they 
despised all the narrow-minded bigots who favored Eng- 
lish misrule for the sake of Protestant ascendancy. 

Q. Were there many of the latter kind ? 

A. Yes, they were very numerous ; and being incapable 
of a spark of patriotism, they took the alarm, and began 
to organize Orange lodges in the interest of England^ 

1795. 
Q. What brought about a change in the character of the 

Society of United Irishmen ? 

A. Its papers were seized by the government in 1794, 
and therefore it became a secret association in the follow- 
ing year. 

Q. How did William Pitt, the English prime .minister, 
deceive Ireland ? 

A. He sent over Lord Fitzwilliam as viceroy, and this 
new deputy proved so acceptable that in a burst of grati- 
tude the Irish parliament voted the extraordinary subsidy 
of twenty thousand men for the navy, and one million 
eight hundred thousand pounds towards the expenses of 
the war with France. Then, to the great regret of the 
people, the popular viceroy was recalled. 

Q. How did the Irish parliament betray its trust ? 

A. It refused to correct the evils attending the choice 
of members, and when the people agitated for reform in 
the matter, it punished them with hostile legislation. 

Q. Mention some of its measures. 

A. It passed the " Insurrection Act," permitting magis- 
trates to proclaim martial law ; the " Indemnity Act," pro- 
tecting the local authorities for exercising a " rigor beyond 
the law;" and the "Riot Act," giving them the right to 
disperse any assembly by force. Finally, it suspended the 
Habeas Corpus. 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 233 

Q. What is meant by this last expression ? 

A. It means an act declaring that no one shall be sent 
to prison beyond sea ; that the accused must be brought 
into court when called for, and be told the reason of his 
imprisonment; that every person must be indicted at the 
first term after commitment, and that no one can be com- 
mitted again for the same offence, after having once been 
discharged therefrom. 

Q. Did Grattan support the parliament ? 

A. No ; after endeavoring in vain to accomplish reform 
in that body, Grattan, Curran, Fitzgerald, and several other 
patriots seceded from it, a.d. 1797. 

Q. What were the United Irishmen doing meanwhile ? 

A. They were preparing for rebellion, and this Avas gen- 
erally knovvn ; but the government was careful not to dis- 
courage them, in order that when the country would be 
crushed after the struggle, it might then easily unite it to 
England. 

Q. Who were the authors of this scheme ? 

A. William Pitt, Earl of Chatham, and two infamous 
Irishmen, John Fitzgibbon, Lord Clare, the chancellor 
(1802), and Robert Stewart, Lord Castlereagh, the chief 
secretary for Ireland (1820). 

Q. How were the people goaded to rebellion ? 

A. Martial law was proclaimed; thousands of soldiers, 
English, German, Scotch, and Welsh, were brought into 
the country and allowed to live at free-quarters. People 
were insulted and ill-treated by these minions of the gov- 
ernment, and there was no redress. The pitch-cap, whip- 
ping, half-hanging, picketing, burning off the hair, and Hke 
barbarities, were sanctioned by the authorities. No man 
was sure of his life, and many were taken without warrant 
and hanged without trial in die streets and market-places. 



234 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

At Carnew twenty-eight persons were murdered by Orange- 
men and militia ; and at Dunlevin thirty-four more were 
shot without judge or jury. 

Q. Where was Wolfe Tone in the meanwhile ? 

A. He was laboring zealously to procure assistance 
from P>ance and Holland for the coming struggle, and 
he was eminently successful. In each country he organ- 
ized a vast expedition ; but, unfortunately, owing to the 
elements, neither reached its destination. 

Q. What other misfortunes befell the United Irishmen ? 

A. Their principal leader, l^ord Edward Fitzgerald, was 
seized three days before the rising. 

Q. When did this take place ? 

A. On the 23d of May, 1798. 

Q. How were the insurgents prepared for their desperate 
enterprise ? 

A. They were undisciplined, unpaid, badly armed, and 
poorly clothed. They had no money, no tents, no sup- 
plies, no cavalry, scarcely any artillery, no ammunition, 
and, worse than all, their leaders were incapable. 

Q. What was the character of the contest ? 

A. The rebellion lasted only four months, but it was a 
fierce and bloody struggle. Quarter was seldom given, 
and many excesses were committed by both parties. 

Q. Did the insurgents make a brave resistance ? 

A. Yes ; the peasantry fought with astonishing bravery, 
and, in the beginning, often put the royal troops to flight. 
Their greatest successes were gained at Gorey, Oulart 
Hill, Enniscorthy, Three Rocks, Cloch, and Casdebar 
Arklow was a drawn battle, and Ross was won, but lost 
again through want of discipline. 

Q. Where were the royal troops victorious ? 

A. At Ross, Naas, Carlow, Kilcullen, Tara, and Vine- 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY, 235 

gar Hill, which last victory may be said to have ended the 
war. 

Q. What was the fate of the leading patriots ? 

A. Many were executed, and the rest banished from 
the country. Among the former were Henry Joy Mc- 
Cracken, Beauchamp Bagenal Harvey, Matthew Tone, 
and Bartholomew Teeling. Of the latter, the most noted 
are MacNevin, Dr. Samson, and Thomas Addis Emmet, 
who settled in New York, 1764. 

Q. Who distinguished himself at the bar by his tireless 
eloquence in defence of the accused ? 

A. John Philpot Curran, the great forensic orator of 
modern times, 1750-18 17. * . 

Q. What course did the English ministers pursue after 
the rebellion ? 

A. They resolved to accomplish the union of England 
and Ireland at once, and for this purpose, proceeded to 
pack the Irish parliament, and to corrupt its members 
by means of peerages, bishoprics, and offices of state. 
More than one million four hundred thousand pounds 
were spent by them in money-bribes to members. 

Q. Who was the chief advocate of the Union in Eng- 
land ? 

A. Excepting Pitt, the prime minister, its greatest sup- 
porter was the talented Channing, a man of Irish descent ; 
and its ablest opponent, the celebrated Richard Brinsley 
Sheridan, 1751-1816. 

Q. Did the Irish people make an effort to preserve their 
parliament ? 

A. Yes ; seven hundred and seven thousand of them 
petitioned against the Union ; and all the orders in the 
state were opposed to it, except, perhaps, the Catholic 
hierarchy, which observed neutrality. 



236 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

Q. Why did the government insist in carrying the 
Union ? 

A. Because it was intolerant of Irish prosperity. 

Q. Who distinguished themselves by their opposition 
to the measure ? 

A. Grattan, Phmket, Ponsonby, Foster, Saurin, Bar- 
rington, Burke, Burrows, Egan, O'Donnell, Parnell, and 
Fitzgerald. 

Q. Did the Union receive the sanction of the bribed 
parliament ? 

A. Yes; on the 7th of June, a.d. 1800, the infamous 

measure was carried by a majority of sixty-five in the com- 

, mons, and fifty-nine in the lords. On the 2d of August 

following it received the approbation of the king, and the 

parliament of Ireland ceased to exist. 

Q. What have been the effects of the Union ? 

A. It has degraded Ireland to the condition of a prov- 
ince, and made her a despised suppliant in a foreign par- 
liament. 

Q. What disturbance took place after the Union ? 

A. A new rebellion was attempted, July 23d, 1803 \ 
but the movement was a failure, and its authors, Thomas 
Russel and the youthful Robert Emmet, paid for it with 
their lives, September 20th. 

Q. What question now began to occupy the attention 
of the British parliament ? 

A. That of catholic emancipation. 

Q. What part did Irishmen take in the European wars 
of this period ? 

A. Many of them entered the armies of all the contend- 
ing powers, but by far the greatest number were in the 
service of England, and by sea and land, at Badajos, Sala- 
manca, Vimeira, Toulouse, Trafalgar, and last of all, at 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY, 237 

Waterloo, under their countryman, Arthur Wellesley, Duke 
of Wellington, they won the highest praise by their fidel- 
ity and valor. 

Q. Did any of them serve in America ? 

A. Yes ; several of them took an active part against 
England in the war of 18 12. 

Q. Name a few of them. 

A. The most noted one, Commodore McDonough, who 
defeated the British on Lake Champlain, and Andrew 
Jackson, the '' Hero of New Orleans," who was afterwards 
president of the United States. Commodores Shaw and 
Stewart ; and Generals Coffee, Carroll, Morgan, and 
Butler were also Irish either by birth or descent. 

Q. Of what other noted men may the same be said ? 

A. Of George Clinton, the first governor of New York, 
and afterwards vice-president of the United States ; of 
Robert Fulton, the inventor of the steamboat; of Chris- 
topher Colles, the projector of the Erie Canal ; and of De 
Witt Chnton, the chief promoter of that great work, etc. 

Q. Did the Irish continue to emigrate to America ? 

A. Yes ; they now began to arrive in great numbers, 
as we see from the fact that in t8i6, when the Irish ex- 
chequer was united with that of England, seven thousand 
one hundred and twenty -two of them landed in New 
York. When steamships began to ply between Ireland 
and America in 18 19, the number was greatly increased. 

Q. What eminent persons in this age ? 

A. Edmund Burke, statesman and orator, 1730-1797 ; 
Father O'Eeary, controversialist, 1802 ; Dr. William 
Gahan, divine, 1 732-1804; Arthur Murphy, dramatist 
and translator of Tacitus^ 1 730-1805 ; James Barry, the 
great historical painter, 1741-1806; Sir Guy Carleton, 
general, 1 742-1808; Mrs. Mary Tighe, poetess, 1773- 



238 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

1810 ; Richard Brinsley Sheridan, author, statesman, and 
orator, 1751-1816 ; Edmund Malone, author and critic, 
1741-1818 ; Sir PhiHp Francis, the reputed Junius^ i74o- 
1818 j WilHam Drennan, the patriot-poet, 1820 ; and la^t 
of all, the good, the noble, the immortal Grattan. 

Q. What were the last acts of this great man ? 

A. Although sick unto death, he resolved to make his 
way to London, to present a petition in favor of the 
Catholics. But on the 6th of June, knowing that he was 
dying, he called for a paper containing his political opin- 
ions. ^' Add to it," said he, addressing his son, '' that I 
die with a love of liberty in my heart, and this declara- 
tion in favor of n}y country in my hand." Truly might 
Byron say of him : 

" Grattan — ever glorious Grattan, 

With more than Demosthenean powers endowed ; 
And his rival or victor in all he possessed." 




CHAPTER XII. 

Catholic Ema?tci_pation, 1820 /(? 1847. 

I HAT celebrated man now began to take the 
leading part in all the affairs of Ireland ? 

A. Daniel O' Conn ell, the most successful 
popular leader of modern times, t775-'S47' 

Q. What measures did he advocate ? 

A. The emancipation of the Cathohcs, and the repeal 
of the Union. 

Q. What did he do to effect the former ? 

A. In order to obtain allies and assistance, he estab- 
lished the Catholic Association, which by his efforts ulti- 
mately included all the liberal men in the kingdom, a.d. 
1823. 

Q. What bold step did he then take ? 

A. In 1828 he had himself elected to the British parlia- 
ment, and then, on presenting himself before that body, 
refused to take the usual anti-Catholic oath, because, as 
he said, " Part of it I know to be false ; another part I 
do not believe to be true." 

Q. What was the consequence ? 

A. A bill for the emancipation of the Catholics was 
passed in the commons on the 30th of March, and by the 
lords on the loth of April, after which it was approved 
by George IV., and became law April 13th, 1829. 

Q. What did emancipation do for the Catholics ? 

A. It threw open to them all offices in the state, except ^ 



240 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

the throne, the vice-royalty of Ireland, and the chancel- 
lorship in either country. 

Q. What occurred during the next few years ? 

A. The decease of George IV., and the accession of 
William IV. in 1830; the introduction of the National 
Schools, 1831 ; the reduction made in the tithes paid to 
Protestant preachers, and the additio-n of five members 
to the one hundred Irish representatives in parliament, 
1837; and the great storm known as the "big wind," 
occurred January 6th, 1839. 

Q. In what condition was the mass of the people ? 

A. The poor-law commission of 1839 reported that 
two million three hundred thousand of the agricultural 
laborers of Ireland were paupers ; that those immediately 
above the lowest rank were the worst-clad, worst-fed, and 
worst-lodged peasantry in Europe. 

Q. How was this state of things brought about ? 

A. It was caused by English tyranny and misrule. 

Q. What great man now began his eventful career ? 

A. Father Mathew, the Apostle of Temperance, who 
in ten years administered the total abstinence pledge to 
more than five millions of persons, a.d. 1848-1858. 

Q. Did O'Connell rest satisfied with Catholic emanci- 
pation ? 

A. No ; and in 1840 he organized the Repeal Associa- 
tion, for the purpose of obtaining a severance of the Union 
between England and Ireland. 

Q. Who was his ablest ally ? 

A. Richard I^alor Shell, orator and writer, 1 793-1851. 

Q. Who were his other associates ? 

A. John O'Connell, O'Gorman Mahon, Thomas Steele, 
Charles Gavan Dufiy, and others. 

Q. What was O'Connell's plan ? 



CATE'CHISM OF IRISH HISTORY.' 241 

A. To win the support of the people by agitation, and 
then, it was supposed, government would not dare resist 
the force of public opinion. 

Q. How was this opinion manifested ? 

A. Through the press and the pulpit, but especially by 
several great monster meetings held during 1843. 

Q. Did O'Connell have any resources in money ? 

A. Yes ; he had the repeal rent, raised by penny sub- 
scription among the poor, which amounted on an average 
to eight hundred pounds a week. 

Q. Give some idea of the multitudes attending his 
mass-meetings. 

A. From the first the crowds were immense, and they 
kept increasing till their numbers became truly incredi- 
ble. Men flocked from England, Scotland, and all parts 
of Ireland, to hear the great Liberator. Thus, to mention 
a few instances : at Clones there were fifty thousand ; at 
Ballinglass, one hundred and fifty thousand ; at Carleville, 
three hundred thousand ; at Kilkenny, three hundred thou- 
sand ; at Loughrea, four hundred thousand ; at Cork, five 
hundred thousand ; at Lismore, six hundred thousand ; at 
Mullagmast, eight hundred thousand, and at Tara, one 
million. 

Q. What violent means did the government now take ? 

A. It dismissed all repealers from ofiice, poured troops 
into the country, forbade the meeting to be held at Clon- 
tarf, and prosecuted O'Connell and eight of his associates 
on the charge of attempting to overthrow the government. 

Q. Who were the English ministers that did this ? 

A. Sir Robert Peel and the Duke of Wellington. 

Q. Was O'Connell found guilty ? 

A. Yes ; the government minions packed a jury, and 
obtained a favorable verdict. 
II 



242 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

Q. What was his sentence ? 

A. To pay a fine of two thousand pounds, and to be 
imprisoned for one year ; but after three months, the 
unjust sentence was reversed by the house of lords, and 
O'Connell was released. 

Q. What did Lord Denman, one of the judges, say on 
this occasion ? 

A. " If such practices as have taken place in the 
present instance in Ireland shall continue, trial by jury 
will become a mockery, a delusion, and a snare." 

Q. What occurred after this ? 

A. Peel brought forward certain concessions, which 
lessened the ardor of the people for repeal ; then the 
Young Ireland Party divided them on the question of the 
measures to be adopted in the future ; finally, famine be- 
gan its ravages in the country, and O'Connell, broken 
down by labors, went for recreation to the continent, 
where he died at Genoa, on the 15th of May, T847. 

Q. What number of emigrants left Ireland during the 
agitation ? 

A. From the year 1815 to 1839 as many as three hun- 
dred and seventy-five thousand Irishmen emigrated to 
Canada. By the official census of 1841 there were four 
hundred and nineteen thousand two hundred and fifty-six 
in England and Scotland, and, within the ten years from 
1839 to 1849, ^^ many as four hundred and twenty-eight 
thousand more arrived in Canada. Many of these, how- 
ever, passed on to the United States, where in addition 
there settled four hundred and ninety thousand five hun- 
dred and fifty-six, between the years 1820 and 1847. 
Besides these, many thousands also went from Ireland to 
settle in Krance, Belgium, Australia, and the distant colo- 
nies of the British Empire. 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 24.3 

Q. What good influence did these emigrants exercise ? 

A. Wherever they went, they carried deep religious 
convictions and planted the seeds of faith. In England 
and Scotland, in Australia and America, they have been 
the great church-builders of the century, and to them 
more than to all others combined is due the wonderful 
spread of the Catholic Church in these countries. 

Q. Did emigration have also a bad effect ? 

A. Yes ; the emigrants were generally poor, and neces- 
sarily exposed to many temptations, and, as a conse- 
quence, many of them and their children ceased to be 
Catholics. Bishop England tells us that, in his day, thou- 
sands of them were to be found in the various sects of 
the United States ; and Cardinal Manning adds that 
there are not less than two hundred thousand Irish people 
— at least by blood and name — in London, who have no 
knowledge of their religion, who never go into a Catholic 
church. 

Q. What eminent men passed away at this time ? 

A. Rev. Charles Wolfe, author of The Burial of Sir 
John Moore, ' Siud other poems, 179T-1823; Michael 
Kelly, composer, 1 762-1826 ; Jeremiah Joseph Callenan, 
poet, 1 795-1829; Bishop Doyle, 1 786-1834; George 
Pepper, historian, 1792-1837 ; Gerald Griffin, novelist, 
1803-1840; Bishop England, of Charleston, 1789-1842 ; 
WilHam Maginn, journalist, 1 794-1842 ; John Banim, 
novelist, 1800 -1842 ; Thomas Davis, poet, 1814-1849 ; 
and Aubrey de Vere, poet, 1 786-1 846, 




CflAPTER XIII. 

Recefit Events^ A. ID. 1847 to 1878. 

HAT has ever been the great curse of Ire- 
land ? 

A. Disunion among her leaders. 
Q. What memorable instance of this oc- 
curred in recent times ? 

A. During the last years of O'Connell his agitation 
was bitterly opposed by a host of ardent young patriots, 
who maintained that Ireland's freedom would be secured 
only by armed force. 

Q. What course did these pursue ? 

A. They organized " The Young Ireland Party," and 
then established the Nation to promote its views. The 
principal writers of this able newspaper were John 
Mitchel, Thomas Davis, and Charles Gavan Duffy. 

Q. Did Ireland improve since the last generation.? 

A. No : owing to cruel oppressive laws, her condition 
grew worse every year, till finally in August, 1846, a 
dreadful scourge began to afflict the country. " Then," 
says McGee, " Ireland, the hospitable among the nations, 
smitten with famine, deserted by her imperial masters, 
lifted up her voice, and uttered that cry of awful anguish 
which shook the ends of the earth." 

Q. Was the famine caused by scarcity of food in the 
country ? 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 245 

A. It was not ; the food was there, but it was extorted 
from the famished people by grasping landlords, who ex- 
ported it to England for greater profit. 

Q. How long did the famine last ? 

A. For two years ; during which time about one 
million persons, men, women, and children, died of star- 
vation. 

Q. Was anything done to relieve the distressed ? 

A. Yes ; but not by the English, " whose ships, laden to 
the gunwales, sailed out of Irish ports, while the charity 
of the world was coming in." In 1846 food to the value 
of fifteen million pounds was shipped to England, and, in 
1847, the " famine year," the produce of the country 
amounted to forty-four million nine hundred and fifty-eight 
tl^ousand one hundred and twenty pounds, an amount 
sufficient to feed twice the population of Ireland. — Pe?'- 
raiid^ p. 115. 

Q. Who did send assistance to Ireland ? 

A. " The -Czar, the Sultan, and the Pope sent their 
rubles and their pauls. The Pacha of Egypt, the Shah 
of Persia, the Emperor of China, the Rajahs of India, 
conspired to do for Ireland what her so-styled rulers re- 
fused to do — to keep her young and old people living in 
the land. America did more in this work of mercy than 
all the rest of the world." — McGee. 

Q. What effect did the famine produce ? 

A. It caused thousands to flee in horror from the coun- 
try. Thus, at the port of Liverpool alone, between the 
13th of January, 1847, and the 13th of December, 1848, 
there landed 296,231 persons from Ireland. Of this vast 
number about 130,000 emigrated to the United States. 
Hence, in this way, emigration from Ireland was sud- 
denly increased to 105,000 in 1846, to 215,000 in 1847, 



246 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

to 254^000 in 1849, to 249,000 in 1850, and to 289,000 
in 185 1. In Canada alone, between the 8th of May 
and the first week in June, 1847, as many as 84 
plague-stricken ships entered the St. Lawrence, with car- 
goes of poor Irish emigrants. After the famine in 185 1, 
there were 'j-^-^^'^dd Irisli in England and Scotland, and 
within the ten years from 1847 to 1857, as many as 
1,298,603 landed in the United States. The whole emigra- 
tion from Ireland for this epoch amounted to 1,873,533 
souls. 

Q. What events mark the year "forty-eight" ? 

A. The foundation of the Dublin Catholic University ; 
and the wild attempt at insurrection by the leaders of the 
Young Ireland party. 

Q. Mention a few of the Young Ireland leaders. 

A. Richard O' Gorman, Thomas Darcy McGee, William 
Smith O'Brien, and Thomas Francis Meagher, are among 
those best known ; and nearly all acquired eminence in 
the various professions which they embraced. 

Q. In what foreign wars did the Irish distinguish them- 
selves ? 

A. In the Crimean War, the East Indian mutiny, and 
in defence of the Papal States. 

Q. What noted men died in the meanwhile ? 

A. James Clarence Mangan, poet, 1 803-1 849 ; John 
C. Calhoun, statesman, 1 782-1850 ; James Finton Tay- 
lor, 1850; Thomas Moore, the "poet of all circles," 
1 779-1852 ; William Thompson, naturalist, 1805-1852 ; 
Lord Plunket, orator, 1 764-1854; Gen. John Nicholson, 
preserver of British India, 1821-1857; Father Mathew, 
the Apostle of Temperance, 1795-1858; John Hogan, 
sculptor, 1800-1858; Lady Morgan, novelist, 1786-1859; 
and Rev. Geo. Croly, poet and writer, 1 780-1860. 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 247 

Q. What service did the Irish in America render their 
adopted country ? 

A. In the war between the States, thousands of them 
fought in the Union armies, and, as Gen. Butler remarks, 
"In every company, regiment, battalion, and division of 
both armies, there were to be found Irish soldiers in large 
proportions." 

Q. What was noted at the time concerning them? 

A. It was noticed that " they showed a marked desire 
to fight the battles of their adopted country in such or- 
ganizations as could righily bear to the front, by the side 
of the Stars and Stripes, the green Hag and golden harp 
of Erin. "—/^. 

Q. Were there many sucli organizations? 

A. Yes ; there were Irish regiments from Massachu- 
setts, Connecticut, New York, Pennsylvania, Delaware, 
Ohio, Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan. New York also 
sent out the Corcoran Legion and Meagher's Brigade, 
both exclusively Irish. 

Q. What was the total number of Irish soldiers in the 
Union armies ? 

A. Of Irish birth there were about one hundred and 
fifty-five thousand, and nearly double that number who 
were of Irish descent. 

Q. What generals in the war were Irish ? 

A. Butler, Corcoran, Gumey, Kearney, Logan, 
Meade, Meagher, Patterson, Mulligan, Smyth, Sheridan, 
.Shields, etc. ; on the Confederate side, besides a bri- 
gade, there were Cleburne, Mahone. Shield, Carroll, and 
McBride. 

Q. AVhat civilians rendered great service to the country 
during the war crisis ? 

A. Archbishop Hughes, of New York ; A. T. Stewart, 



248 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

the leading merchant of his day; and Charles O'Conor, 
the head of the American Bar. 

Q. What occurred after the Civil War ? 

A. In 1866 considerable excitement was caused by the 
Fenian Brotherhood, an Irish national association, which 
sent about a thousand men to invade Canada, a depen- 
dency of the British Empire. Though successful, as far 
as it went, the movement came to nothing owing to the 
course pursued by the president of the United States. 

Q, Did the state of Ireland improve meanwhile ? 

A. Yes ; experience and public opinion began to influ- 
ence her rulers, and they were induced to mete out to her 
some little favors. But it is too much to expect that she 
will ever obtain full justice, except by some means other 
than that of moral suasion. 
^ Q. WHiich was the principal of these measures ? 

A. The disestablishment of the Protestant Church, 
July 26th, A.D. 1869, 

Q. What eminent men died during this past decade ? 

A. John O' Donovan, Gaelic scholar and translator, 
1809-1861 ; James Sheridan Knowles, dramatist, 1784- 
1862 ; FAigene O 'Curry, antiquarian, 1 794-1862 ; Francis 
Patrick Kenrick, archbishop and theologian, 1 797-1863; 
Very Rev. Daniel W. Cahill, preacher and astronomer, 
1 799-1864; Sir William Rowan Hamilton, mathemati- 
cian, 1805-1865; Rev. Francis Mahony (Father Prout), 
1 800-1 866 ; Nicholas Wiseman, Cardinal Archbishop of 
Westminster, 1802-1865 ; Leopold O'Donnell, Duke of 
Tetuan, and Marshal of Spain, 1809-1867 ; Samuel Lov- 
er, noveHst, 1 797-1868; and William Carleton, novelist, 
1 798-1869. 

Q. On what occasion was the influence of the Irish 
strikingly manifested ? 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 249 

A. At the Council of the Vatican, held on the 8th of 
December, 1869. Of the seven hundred and seventy-nine 
bishops present at this great assembly, about one hundred 
—hailing from all parts of the world— were Irish, either by 
birth or descent. 

Q. What recent events are worthy of note ? 

A. The visit of Father Burke to the United States, and 
his successful controversy with Froude, the eulogist of 
English misrule in Ireland. 

Q. Does emigration from Ireland still continue ? 

A. Yes ; thousands continue to depart every year for 
different countries. From 1857 to 1878, there arrived 
one million sixty-five thousand four hundred and twenty- 
nine at the port of New York alone. During the last 
thirty years about two millions seven hundred thousand 
Irish emigrants came to the United States. For the one 
hundred years just past, the total number that arrived 
in America amounted to about five millions. 

Q. In general, how are the interests of emigrants to the 
United States best promoted ? 

A. By settling in the great Western States or Territo- 
ties they will be clear of all corrupt influences, and can 
easily establish flourishing communities. 

Q. What is now to be said of the condition of Ire- 
land ? 

A. Despite the oppressive laws, the country is beginning 
to grow in wealth and population, and it is to be hoped 
that ere long there will be no need of her people emi- 
grating, and wandering homeless over the face of the 

earth. 

Q. How is this to be brought about ? 

A. By a definitive policy, by earnestness and union 
among all classes, and by a careful watching of her repre- 



250 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

sentatives in the Imperial parliament, where they have 
often proved themselves so unworthy. 

Q. What is to be thought of the '' Home Rule " 
policy ? 

A. It is probably the best at present ; for, when Home 
Rule is once obtained, all else will follow if desirable. 

Q. Name some of the noted Irishmen that have died 
recently. 

A. Michael WiUiam Balfe, musical composer, 1808- 
1870; Daniel Maclise, painter, 1811-1870; Charles 
Lever, novelist, 1806-18 72 ; Sir Robert J. McClure, dis- 
coverer of the Northwest passage, 1807-1873; John 
Mitchel, historian and agitator, 18 15-1875 ; John O'Ma- 
hony, revolutionist, 1816-1876. 

Q. Mention a few other personages of Irish birth or 
descent. 

A. Isaac Butt, statesman ; Barry Sullivan, tragedian ; 
Dion Boucicault, dramatic author ; Bishop Conroy, Papal 
Delegate to America ; James Gibbons, Primate of the 
United States; John MacHale, Archbishop of Tuam ; 
John McCloskey, Cardinal Archbishop of New York; 
Lord Dufiferin, Governor-General of Canada ; and 
Marshal Patrick McMahon, President of the French 
Republic. 

Q. Besides these, are there others of almost equal emi- 
nence ? 

A. Yes; there are many others, filling with honor the 
highest departments of social and political life — men of 
worth, soldiers, heroes, poets, patriots, and divines, of 
whom Ireland may well be proud. But in a work like 
this it is impossible to mention them all. 

Q. What is to be thought of the future prospects of Ire- 
land .? 



CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 251 

A. The future of Ireland is cheering. She possesses 
the same vitality, intellect, and resources that have dis- 
tinguished her in the past. She has learned much by 
experience, and her children were never so numerous as at 
present. Moreover, right is on her side, her history is 
being studied, and the sympathies of the world are with 
her. If, therefore, the generation rising up be as patriotic 
as their sires, no power on earth can keep the " old land " 
in slavery, and she will soon again become prosperous and 
great, if not entirely free. 

Q. What thought comes naturally to mind as we close 
this last page of our history ? 

A. Truly, we must say, after all, Ireland has been fortu- 
nate in her woe. Six hundred years of the bloodiest per- 
secutions in history have not been able to rob her of in- 
dividuaUty, faith, or nationaUty. Like the Church whose 
most faithful child she is, she has come forth victorious 
from her conflicts, and though bearing on her body the 
scars of battle and bigotry, and in her hand the broken 
wand of national power, still, some rays of her ancient 
glory and the attraction of defeated right linger even now 
upon her majestic brow. Her sword is broken and her 
ancient trophies lie mouldering in the dust, but for all that 
she is yet a nation— a distinct nation. You may call her 
subjected, but I deny that she is conquered. You may 
call her tranquil, but I deny that she is pacified. She still 
possesses her own characteristics, her own poetry and 
literature, her own patriotism and eloquence, and, above 
all, she cherishes still her panting aspirations for freedom, 
and her old, eternal, implacable hostility towards her arch- 
enemy, England. 

Ah ! Ireland— beautiful land of my own, even strangers 
have grieved at thy sorrows, and how then shall I forget 



252 CATECHISM OF IRISH HISTORY. 

thee ? Forget thee ? Never ! Ever while there is life will 
I remember thee. 

Remember thee ? yes, white there's love in this heart, 
It shall never forget thee, all lone as thou art. 
More dear in thy sorrows, thy gloom and thy showers, 
Than the rest of the world in their smmiest hours. 

Were thou all that I wish thee — great, glorious, and free, 
First flower of the earth and first gem of the sea — 
I might hail thee with prouder, with happier brow. 
But O, could I love thee more deeply than now ? 

No ; thy chains as they rankle, thy blood as it ruiis, 

But make thee more painfully dear to thy sons, 

Whose hearts, like the young of the desert-bird's nest. 

Drink love in each life-drop that flows from thy breast. — MoORE. 



THE END. 




tA 



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